Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal that will see cover defender Jakub Kiwior transfer to Portuguese giants FC Porto.
The Gunners have sought to revamp their centre back depth this summer, bringing in Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia and the runners-up for the last three Premier League seasons are working on a deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapié.
Hincapié was also a target for Tottenham Hotspur until his preference for Arsenal became clear early in negotiations. The Ecuador international is understood to have agreed personal terms over a prospective transfer to north London, but a lack of sales this summer needed to be addressed.
Talks to send Kiwior to Porto have been ongoing and it appears an agreement has now been reached. There are, however, conflicting reports over the structure of the deal. reports that a loan with obligation to buy is close to being completed—comprised of a €2 millon loan fee, a further €17 million ((£14.7 million, $19.8 million) in guaranteed money, and up to €10 million more in eventual add-ons. Overall, Arsenal could pocket as much €29 million if that is accurate.
make no mention of the loan aspect for Kiwior, stating an agreement has been struck for a guaranteed €25 million plus a further €2 million in add-ons.
As it stands, Kiwior is on course to travel to Porto by Saturday lunchtime to finalise things. The 25-year-old Poland international, recruited from Spezia in 2023, will leave having made 68 appearances across all competitions in two and a half seasons.
Hincapié has a €60 million release clause in his Bayer Leverkusen contract, although Arsenal have been tipped to try and negotiate a loan with obligation to buy that would delay a permanent transfer until next summer, but still promises guaranteed money to the Bundesliga side.
The Gunners also have Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga to offload, ultimately helping avoid contravening UEFA’s squad cost rule, which limits spending on transfers, wages and associated costs to 70% of a club’s revenue.
