Fabrizio Romano reveals Arsenal destiny with speculative swap offer for in-demand Dutch ace

Arsenal have learned via Fabrizio Romano whether they would succeed with a proposed swap offer for highly-rated Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries.

Dumfries is on the radar of multiple Premier League clubs after catching the eye with Inter Milan and the Dutch national team. If his current employers in Serie A decide to cash in on him, his destination could be in England.

There, a number of teams would like to sign him. There have been links with Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

In the latter’s case, rumours have surfaced suggesting a swap deal involving Takehiro Tomiyasu. It would mean sacrificing someone they only signed in 2021, but it might represent an upgrade.

What’s more, it would ensure Dumfries would not strengthen one of the clubs looking to catch Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table this season.

However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal would not be able to win the race for Dumfries by merely giving up Tomiyasu.

Instead, Inter are holding out for a significant windfall before parting ways with the Netherlands international.

“Inter Milan are not looking for swap deals for Denzel Dumfries, as things stand. Big money or nothing, this is their stance – and the absolute priority is to keep Dumfries at least until the end of the season,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“So, despite some talk of interest from Arsenal and a swap deal involving Takehiro Tomiyasu, I don’t think Arsenal will invest big money there.”

Coincidentally, Man Utd have also been tipped to look into part-exchange deals to sign Dumfries. However, their strategy won’t pay off either.

Denzel Dumfries future should lie elsewhere

Only time will tell whether any of Dumfries’ other admirers will be willing to pay up. However, it might not be Arsenal’s biggest area of need – especially with striker Gabriel Jesus out injured – so they might be one to rule out of the race for the former PSV star.

Tomiyasu, for what it’s worth, is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2025 with the option for a further year. He has shared responsibilities at right-back this season with Benjamin White, who played more centrally last term.

Cedric Soares has also acted as a rotation option, but hasn’t been used much by Mikel Arteta. Therefore, he may want another natural right-back, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of losing Tomiyasu.

Dumfries may have to look elsewhere for a route into the Premier League. Worryingly for Arsenal, a move to north London rivals Tottenham might make the most sense, given Spurs’ lack of consistency in the right-back position.

But there are a lot of options for the 26-year-old to consider. As Romano has observed, he might not have to make his mind up until the end of the season at least.

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