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Arsenal finally announce 26yo’s £19m transfer

Arsenal have finally published an official statement confirming Jakub Kiwior’s transfer to FC Porto, almost two months after Porto revealed the news.

Mikey Moore of Rangers battles for possession with Jakub Kiwior of FC Porto during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between FC Porto and Rangers FC at Estadio do Dragao on January 29, 2026 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images

Back in early May, FC Porto announced that they’d activated their option to buy Jakub Kiwior, but Arsenal never published an official statement on the news.

The closest the Gunners came to confirming the transfer was in a loan watch roundup post, where they briefly mentioned the move. But there was no formal update announcing the deal.

That is until now, with Arsenal posting on July 1st that Kiwior has joined Porto. The Gunners were presumably waiting until the very final day of Kiwior’s contract in north London, which was on June 30th.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE: Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal looks on during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Arsenal FC and AC Milan at the National Stadium on July 23, 2025. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

Porto’s statement in May confirmed that the deal involved a fixed fee of €17m, plus another €5m in potential add-ons for €22m (£18.9m) in total.

Arsenal also retain a fixed €2m sell-on clause (meaning that if Porto ever sell Kiwior, they’ll owe the Gunners an extra €2m, regardless of the sale price).

Arsenal also received a €2m loan fee from Porto last summer, so the deal therefore has a maximum value to Arsenal of €26m (£22.4m). The Gunners signed Kiwior for €20m (then £17.6m) in 2023.

Porto have included a €70m release clause in the player’s contract, but there’s little expectation of the clause being activated.

WARSAW, POLAND - NOVEMBER 14: Jakub Kiwior of Poland looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Poland and Netherlands at PGE Narodowy on November 14, 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images)
Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images

Kiwior won the Liga Portugal with Porto in 2025/26, with the club confirming the transfer shortly afterwards.

Kiwior made 68 appearances for Arsenal across two-and-a-half seasons, before spending the 2025/26 campaign playing 39 times for Porto.

The defender won the Community Shield during his time in north London, but it’s unlikely he received a Premier League winner’s medal last season, having only been in the Arsenal squad for one game.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Villarreal at Emirates Stadium on August 06, 2025. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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