£20m Arsenal ace now tops January transfer shortlist for UCL giants as move plotted

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Arsenal star Jakub Kiwior has been linked with a move away less than 12 months after he arrived, and Serie A giants AC Milan are now interested.

The defender has not featured much this season, although he did start in Arsenal’s dramatic victory at Luton on Tuesday.

Kiwior arrived from Serie A side Spezia last January for around £20m, and although he has not featured regularly, he has been impressive in most of his appearances at both centre-back and left-back.

It now seems that AC Milan are particularly keen on bringing him in, but they face a number of issues.

AC Milan are keen on Jakub Kiwior

A report from CalcioMercato has now revealed that Kiwior is top of Milan’s shopping list when it comes to their defensive targets in the January transfer window, as injuries to Pierre Kalulu and Malick Thiaw have increased their need for reinforcements.

Kiwior has made 19 appearances since his arrival last January, but there is no indication that Arsenal will be willing to let him leave.

AC Milan are also in a difficult financial position, meaning that their only chance of signing Kiwior in January lies in a potential loan deal with an option to buy.

Given that Arsenal are already weak when it comes to defensive depth following injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber, it seems near-impossible that Kiwior will be heading to the San Siro.

Jakub Kiwior deserves more chances

The Poland international has appeared in just 17% of Arsenal’s Premier League minutes this season, and he may consider himself unlucky that Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Tomiyasu have all been impressive at times on the left side of defence.

However, Mikel Arteta should look to give the 23-year-old more opportunities when possible in order to aid Kiwior’s development. He has impressed when given chances, but does seem more comfortable at centre-back rather than on the left.

Kiwior looks set to start in today’s Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven, with the Gunners already qualified for the knockout stages, and Arteta could shuffle his pack and give the likes of Kiwior and some academy starlets some more game time.

Even if Arsenal had enough numbers at the back, Kiwior is a player they have clearly identified as a long-term option, and a departure less than a year after his arrival would be unexpected. These links to Milan appear somewhat strong, but given their financial situation, Arsenal will not be worried about an exit any time soon.