RB Leipzig are insisting that Arsenal activate Dayot Upamecano’s €100M (£91M) release clause if they want to seal a late swoop for the Frenchman.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with the defender today, with the Daily Mail even stating that Unai Emery’s side have already had a bid of £55M turned down by Leipzig.
And now, it seems like the Gunners are going to have to make a hefty second bid if they are to seal a last-minute deal for the French centre-back.
According to journalist Ronan Murphy on Twitter, Leipzig aren’t ready to negotiate a fee with Arsenal for Upamecano, with the club insisting that the Gunners fork out the £91m (€100M) needed to activate the defender’s release clause.
RB Leipzig are not willing to negotiate with Arsenal over the transfer fee of Dayot Upamecano, according to Sky Germany. They are insisting the Gunners pay his €100m release clause. #RBL #AFC
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) August 6, 2019
The Gunners’ defensive options are looking a little slack after they sold Laurent Koscielny to Bordeaux earlier today, thus bringing in a new centre-back should be an imperative ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.
The club seem to be closing on a move for Daniele Rugani, and if they were to sign him and Upamecano, that’d solve their defensive struggles once and for all.
Upamecano is a brilliant young centre-back, and if he does end up moving to the Emirates this summer, he’ll surely be a mainstay in Arsenal’s starting XI for at least the next decade.
The Frenchman has already managed to cement his place in Leipzig’s starting XI, and given how good the Bundesliga outfit actually are, we doubt he’d have any trouble doing the same for Arsenal should he end up moving to the north London side this week.
