FC Porto are closing in on a deal to sign Jakub Kiwior, with Arsenal’s recent progress on Piero Hincapie seemingly allowing the move to go ahead.
Fabrizio Romano initially reported on Friday morning that with Arsenal on the verge of signing Piero Hincapie, FC Porto are closing in on a transfer for Jakub Kiwior.
Romano reported that Arsenal and Porto are sealing a €26m (£22.6m) package for an initial loan with an obligation to buy, with only the final details pending.
Yet it’s worth mentioning that this figure has been slightly disputed in some other recent reports.
Luca Bendoni reports today that the package will be worth €27m (£23.4m), and that Arsenal will also have a sell-on clause if the deal goes ahead.
David Ornstein confirms for The Athletic that Porto’s deal is worth a guaranteed €25m rising to €27m, and personal terms are in place.
Ornstein adds that though the deal is in place and the package is agreed, it’s still subject to Arsenal completing their move for Hincapie.
Arsenal could have brought in even more for Kiwior this summer if he’d stayed within the Premier League. But The Athletic report that the centre-back has insisted all summer that he’d prefer to return to Europe.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace discussed Kiwior’s situation during negotiations for Eberechi Eze, so there were options locally. It just seems that the player wasn’t willing to consider them.
Gunners fans won’t feel too much animosity towards Kiwior over that stance. Whether the final fee is €25m or €27m, Arsenal are still making a profit on their €20m acquisition of the defender, and he’s given the club some big performances along the way.
Arsenal will reinvest the funds immediately on Hincapie, but the Bayer Leverkusen defender won’t be available in time to face Liverpool on Sunday. With Kiwior also likely absent, Mikel Arteta will be relying on Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Cristhian Mosquera for that game.