Arsenal face tough task signing £52m man better than Chelsea star – pundit

Arsenal have been warned they face a huge battle to sign defensive target Dayot Upamecano after pundit Rio Ferdinand purred over his display in their Champions League win over Tottenham on Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old has been one of the most promising young centre-backs in the world this season and is said to have attracted the attention of many big teams across Europe.

And he enhanced his already growing reputation with a Rolls Royce of a display in the heart of the Leipzig backline as his side roared past Tottenham 3-0 and into the Champions League quarter-finals.

But despite interest from the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Upamecano has previously said it is his ‘dream’ to play in the Premier League.

Speaking more recently to El Mundo Deportivo, the defender said: “As I said, first I focus on RB Leipzig and then about what I intend to do, but there are clubs that love me.

“I will speak well with my agents and my parents at the end of the season. And we will make the right decision.”

Acquiring the signature of the France Under-21 international will come at a price, however, with the Spanish news outlet reporting that he has a release clause of €60million in his current Leipzig contract.

And to further complicate matters for Arsenal, who are said to have watched him in close detail over the season, the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real , Barca and Bayern Munich also keeping tabs on him.

And with Ferdinand claiming the player will “definitely be a man in demand this summer”, the pundit was left to watch in appreciation as Upamecano was restored to the Die Roten Bullen backline for the 3-0 win over Spurs in place of Chelsea loanee Ethan Ampadu.

Comparing the two players and highlighting Upamecano’s brilliance, Ferdinand told BT Sport: “He [Upamecano] seems like a modern day defender, physically really strong and quick, aggressive, very assertive in the way he plays.

“His passing range, you need that in this game.

“This one [vs Borussia Dortmund] is almost [Andrea] Pirlo-esque, the way he clips this over the centre-half in between the centre-half and the full-back.

“I think he’s somebody who’s very high on the shopping list of many of the big clubs in Europe at the moment. You can understand why seeing those clips.”

His fellow pundit Peter Crouch added: “I thought Ampadu was an adequate replacement [in the first leg] to say the least to be honest, he was dictating play in the centre of that back three.

“Upamecano is similar in some ways. I think he’s probably better defensively than Ampadu, makes some fantastic interceptions.

“There’s big talk about him, maybe Arsenal looking at him for a big, big fee.

“I think defensively he’s definitely better than Ampadu but he’s also got a pass in him as well, he’s not just breaking up play, he’s setting up attacks.

“That’s why he’s so valued.”

Upamecano on his future

Like his teammate Timo Werner, the defender certainly has a growing army of admirers, though unlike the Germany striker, it seems he’s in no hurry to leave the Bundesliga

Speaking about his future last month, he told Foot Mercato: “I feel very good at RB Leipzig.

“I like my team-mates, the staff and my club. For the moment, I am still under contract until 2021. I am going to have to continue to train well and play matches.

“Even though I know that there are clubs that want me, that is certain, I am keeping my feet on the ground.

“We will discuss my future at the end of the season with my agents and my family.

“Of course [it’s flattering to be linked to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal] but I am at Leipzig and I want to reach the aims that the club has set. I do not want to talk about anything else at the moment.

“I want to finish the season with Leipzig and nothing else.”

The Gunners, meanwhile, have also been linked with a move for an impressive Leeds star, according to Wednesday’s Paper Talk.