Arsenal are closely monitoring a “special” young midfielder, who has been cleared to leave his club for a fee of £25m in the summer, according to a report.

Gunners eyeing a midfielder

The Gunners had a quiet January, with Mikel Arteta ultimately deciding to wait until the end of the season before making any major additions to his squad, and there is a belief they are close to agreeing a deal for a midfielder.

Club chiefs hope to have the deal for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi wrapped up before the summer, with the Spaniard still high on the list of targets at the Emirates Stadium.

Zubimendi would set the north Londoners back around £50m, so he would not come cheap, and the 26-year-old is not the only midfielder Arsenal are interested in signing at the end of the season.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 8, 2025

According to a report from CaughtOffside, the Gunners are closely monitoring Sunderland’s Chris Rigg, and after a recent development, a deal could be a possibility.

The Black Cats have now cleared Rigg’s departure for a fee of £25m in the summer, with the Championship side now resigned to sanctioning his departure, having previously been resistant to letting him leave.

However, it could be a difficult task to win the race for the Sunderland star, as he is also attracting interest from a number of other top Premier League clubs, alongside the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

At this stage, it is unclear which club are leading the race for the 17-year-old, but a move to Arsenal or Liverpool could be tempting, with both clubs well-placed to compete for major trophies.

Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League fixtures	Date
Leicester City (a)	February 15th
West Ham United (h)	February 22nd
Nottingham Forest (a)	February 26th
Manchester United (a)	March 9th
Chelsea (h)	March 16th

Rigg has shades of Jude Bellingham

Much like Jude Bellingham at Birmingham City, Rigg has managed to force his way into the first team of a Championship side at an extremely young age, scoring four goals in 27 league games this season.

The comparisons don’t stop there given the youngster’s keen eye for goal, becoming the second-youngest player to score in the second tier back in September 2023, missing out on Bellingham’s record by just 13 days.

The teenager was lauded as a “special talent” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley earlier this season, and it is clear to see why so many top clubs are queueing up for his signature in the summer.

A price tag of £25m may seem steep for a player who is still so young, but he has already gained a great deal of first-team experience at Sunderland, and there is every indication his value could skyrocket in the coming years.