Euro giant eyeing £20m Arsenal star in January raid and Arteta won’t ‘block’ exit

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Jakub Kiwior could be set to leave Arsenal.

According to Gazzetta, European giants AC Milan are keen to secure the services of Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior. The Italian outfit have identified the player as their top defensive target and are under the impression that Mikel Arteta will not seek to “block” their approach should they come forward with a fair offer.

It is fair to say that Kiwior is yet to truly establish himself at the Emirates Stadium. Since joining the north London club in January, in a £20 million switch from Serie A side Spezia, he has been restricted to a rotational role in Arteta’s squad.

In his Arsenal career to date, the 23-year-old has made 19 appearances for the club across all competitions. Only eleven of those outings have come as part of the starting XI.

Of course, with the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu ahead of him in the pecking order, Kiwior faces a tough task in earning regular minutes at Arsenal. However, Arteta has high hopes for the Polish defender and believes in his potential.

Should Arsenal let Jakub Kiwior go?

Arsenal do not have a large transfer budget at their disposal heading into January. The Gunners will have to consider cashing in on players in order to raise funds. Kiwior could be amongst those players that other clubs see as being therefore available.

Whilst he may be considered a sellable asset in terms of his youth and the fact he is not a nailed on starter, it would be a surprise if the manager were willing to let him go this winter.

Following the injuries sustained by Jurrien Timber and Tomiyasu this season, Arsenal now find themselves in a position where they are in desperate need of new defensive recruits in January. In that context, letting Kiwior go mid-season makes no sense whatsoever.

Even if his long-term future is not at the club, Kiwior is very much needed for now. Unless AC Milan were willing to offer an astronomical fee for his services it is hard to imagine Arteta sanctioning the player’s departure.

From the player’s perspective, though, it is easy to see why the move may appeal. He knows the league and country well and would likely get more regular game time with Milan than he has so far at Arsenal.

He should not be too quick to give up on his career with the Gunners, though. Injuries mean he is all but guaranteed some starts in the coming weeks. Indeed, he was included in the XI to face Luton Town on Tuesday evening. He has started garnering plaudits from the fans, too. He still has a great chance of making himself a star in north London.