A report in Portugal says the €17m clause will be activated, although that may not be the end of the defender’s story this summer.
Jakub Kiwior’s €17m move from Arsenal to FC Porto is expected to be completed before 31 May, with O Jogo reporting that the buyout clause is little more than a formality.
Both clubs can activate the clause, but the report says there is no doubt on Porto’s side that the deal will be done.
That would turn Kiwior’s loan move into a permanent transfer, even if it does not necessarily settle his longer-term future beyond the summer with rumours he could be re-sold to turn a quick profit.
The report also addresses whether that could fall foul of rules around so-called bridge transfers. FIFA defines those as consecutive linked transfers within 16 weeks involving an intermediary club for the purpose of getting around regulations, laws, or defrauding another party.
According to O Jogo, that would not apply in Kiwior’s case.
!["Bridge transfer" does not apply to Kiwior O Jogo31 Mar 2026 ● ● ● The hiring of Jakub Kiwior is little more than a formality to be fulfilled until May 31. Both FC Porto and Arsenal could activate the € 17 million buyout clause, with no doubt on the Dragons ' side, as would be expected. Still, it is important to clarify that this step does not put the pole “safe” from a possible exit from the Invicta in the summer, under the ban on Bridge transfers, confirmed the game. FIFA defines such transfers as “consecutive [within 16 weeks] linked together and involving the registration of that player with the intermediary club for the purpose of circumventing the application of relevant regulations or laws and/or defrauding another person or entity.” Now, on the one hand, none of that would be in question if a shark tried to hire Kiwior to FC Porto, in a purely sporting movement and without dark interests behind it, which is what the regulation tries to stop; on the other hand, the fact that, in the summer, the defender has already been transferred on loan from the gunners to the Dragons also changes the framework. No alarm would be raised at FIFA that would compel clubs to provide clarification to the Disciplinary Committee.](https://dailycannon.com/static/uploads/1/2026/03/260331-o-jogo-kiwior-e1774956410390.png "€17m Arsenal transfer to activate before 31 May 4")
For Arsenal, the key point is straightforward. The €17m clause is expected to be triggered before the end of May, turning Kiwior’s exit into a permanent one, leaving Porto to retain the option of considering offers later in the summer.
Kiwior is currently valued at €27m. Arsenal signed him in 2023 from Spezia Calcio, paying €19.5m.
Porto have already paid €2m to take him on loan this season, where he has made 31 appearances and cemented himself as a first-team starter.
Arsenal will no doubt include a sell-on fee in the deal so would stand to benefit again if he is flipped.