Jakub Kiwior’s Arsenal transfer won’t be complete until Monday or Tuesday, but the player will be sitting in the box seats for Arsenal vs Manchester United.

Jakub Kiwior is closing in on the official announcement of his transfer to Arsenal from Spezia Calcio, but his agent reports that the deal won’t be done until early next week – with a work permit still pending.

“Jakub will sign on Monday or Tuesday for Arsenal,” the agent told Meczyki.pl, adding: “He will be in VIP Box for the game vs United.”

Even though news only broke in the last few days, this deal has clearly been in the works for at least a few weeks, with the agent explaining that Mikel Arteta had already spoken to Kiwior before the turn of the year.

“Just before New Year’s Eve, he had a telephone conversation with Mikel Arteta, who told about many details, presented a plan for him and what the road to playing may look like. The player was enchanted.”

Fabrizio Romano reports that Kiwior has completed his medical, so it’s only the formalities left to finalise the transfer.

Charles Watts reported that the defender spent the afternoon at London Colney on Saturday, finalising his move and meeting his new teammates.

Arsenal and Serie A side Spezia have both already signed the relevant documents to complete a transfer, which is set to cost €20-25m. The player is signing a contract lasting until 2028.

Serie A clubs including Juventus, Napoli, and AC Milan were all previously linked with a move for the left-footed centre-back.

Also comfortable playing at left-back or in midfield, Kiwior made his international debut last June. He’s gone on to start every game for his country since then – including four starts at the World Cup as Poland kept two clean sheets.

The 6’2″ defender was under contract with Spezia until 2025, having joined them in 2021, and he made 20 appearances for them in Serie A and the Italian cup competitions this season.