Arsenal hold concrete interest in £67m Liverpool target bound for the ‘very top’
Arsenal and Liverpool both want a Bundesliga ace
Arsenal look set to rival Liverpool for the signing of exciting Bundesliga talent Hugo Larsson, according to a report.
Larsson, 20, is a central midfielder who came through the Malmo academy and can either operate as a No 8 or No 6. He made 61 first-team appearances for Malmo before joining Eintracht Frankfurt in a £7.5million (€9m / US$10m) deal in July 2023.
Larsson played 38 times for Frankfurt across all competitions last season and he has enjoyed a great start to the new campaign.
Early Bundesliga goals against Hoffenheim and Borussia Monchengladbach – which have helped Frankfurt pick up three wins from four league games – saw Fabrizio Romano provide an update on his future recently.
Romano stated that ‘several clubs are monitoring his development’, though Frankfurt are ‘very happy’ with their player and consider him a ‘key’ part of the team.
CaughtOffside have now provided their take on the situation, claiming that Arsenal and Liverpool are two of the main clubs vying for Larsson’s signature.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all like the Sweden international too, but at this stage it is Arsenal and Liverpool who are most likely to swoop for him.
Edu and Mikel Arteta hold ‘serious interest’ in taking Larsson to Arsenal, though they will face fierce competition from Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
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Arsenal transfers: Gunners, Liverpool in Hugo Larsson battle
Both Premier League giants sent scouts to watch Larsson in action during recent games against Wolfsburg and Gladbach, and those officials were ‘hugely impressed’ by what they saw.
Larsson will not come cheap, however. Frankfurt know that the youngster is bound to reach the ‘very top’ and are therefore ‘very reluctant’ to let him leave next summer, when interested clubs are most likely to come calling.
Frankfurt are likely to demand upwards of £58.5m (€70m / US$78.3m) for Larsson and could even hold out for as much as £66.8m (€80m / US$89.5m).
Frankfurt can demand such money as they have tied the starlet down to a long-term contract which runs until June 2028, and that deal does not include a release clause.
That is clearly a lot of money for someone of Larsson’s age. Although, he is emerging as one of the best U21 players around, so Arsenal and Liverpool will not want to miss out on his services.
In addition to pursuing Larsson, Arsenal chiefs are also on the lookout for a new centre-forward, having failed to bolster the position in the summer despite plenty of links.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that both Dusan Vlahovic and Benjamin Sesko are on Arsenal’s shortlist as they hunt a top-quality No 9.
Liverpool, meanwhile, remain in the market for a new defensive midfielder – having missed out on Martin Zubimendi over the summer – which explains their pursuit of Larsson.
But it recently emerged that Liverpool are still tracking Zubimendi ahead of a possible January bid for the Real Sociedad star.
Liverpool are also aiming to tie down a number of first-team stars, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah. TEAMtalk can confirm that Luis Diaz is poised to receive a new contract too, as Slot is delighted with the winger’s electric start to the campaign.