Chelsea, Crystal Palace, West Ham in three-way battle for superb LaLiga star Arsenal almost signed

Chelsea, Crystal Palace and West Ham are reportedly battling to sign Real Sociedad right-back Ivan Fresneda, who came close to joining Arsenal.

The 18-year-old is considered to be one of the best young defenders in Europe after putting in some impressive performances in LaLiga.

Fresneda broke into the Real Sociedad first team last season. He has made 26 appearances in total for the Spanish club so far.

The youngster is thought to be keen on joining a Premier League club this summer and there is certainly no shortage of interest in his signature.

As mentioned, Arsenal came close to signing Fresneda but Mikel Arteta ultimately opted to bring in Jurrien Timber instead.

This has opened the door for Chelsea, Crystal Palace or West Ham to make their move, who are reportedly poised to battle for Fresneda in the final week of the transfer window.

The defender is touted to become a superstar in the future, so could prove to be an excellent long-term investment for one of the Premier League trio.

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London trio battle for Fresneda

According to Spanish outlet AS, Fresneda’s representatives are in London today to discuss a potential move to Chelsea, Crystal Palace or West Ham.

The Premier League trio are reportedly ‘very interested’ in signing the Spain under-19s international before the transfer window slams shut.

Several top European clubs have registered an interest in Fresneda. He gave the green-light to joining Barcelona a few weeks ago – a move that has since fallen through as Xavi looks to bring in Man City star Joao Cancelo.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chelsea bring in the defender. They have a long history of signing youngsters with high potential and Fresneda certainly fits into that category.

Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are currently searching for a long-term replacement for Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward, who are both past their prime.

As for West Ham, Vladimir Coufal is a stalwart in the right-back position but it seems David Moyes wants to bring in some competition for him this summer. Ben Johnson is also being linked with a move away from the London stadium.

Real Sociedad value Fresneda at approximately £15m, so it will be interesting to see who makes the first concrete offer for the defender.

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