Arsenal are among the clubs with an interest in Real Madrid teenager Victor Valdepenas this summer, according to a report.
Javier Rodriguez Pascual reports for Relevo that after a promising season with Real Madrid B team RM Castilla, Victor Valdepenas is drawing interest from around Europe.
Arsenal are one of the clubs to have made enquiries, along with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, though Real Madrid’s current plan is to keep the 18-year-old and make him a key player for Castilla next season.
Even so, Real Madrid could consider a lucrative offer, and Valdepenas is believed to be ready to make the leap to top-tier football. The club are currently finalising the signing of fellow left-back Alvaro Carreras, potentially blocking Valdepenas’ pathway with his current side.
On the surface, it may seem strange that Arsenal are pursuing a left-back. The Gunners have so many options in the position that they’re willingly letting Kieran Tierney leave and putting Oleksandr Zinchenko on the market this summer.
But perhaps there are a couple of reasons why Arsenal might still look to sign another player in the position, particularly a younger prospect like Valdepenas.
For a start, Myles Lewis-Skelly spent his youth career largely playing in midfield, and he may be needed there again if both Jorginho and Thomas Partey leave. Yet that would mean only Riccardo Calafiori remaining as a full-time left-back option.
It’s also worth mentioning that Valdepenas is capable of playing as a centre-back, and he has on a number of occasions this season.
So he could provide cover for Gabriel Magalhaes and Jakub Kiwior directly, or indeed indirectly, by freeing up Calafiori to move into a central role – as he played against Newcastle United.
Mikel Arteta seems to be a fan of versatile defenders, and Valdepenas fits that bill.