Arsenal threaten Ratcliffe transfer plan as Arteta eyes Man Utd target to replace outgoing star

Left back Miguel Gutierrez of Girona is supposedly attracting serious interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, and other clubs.

As Mikel Arteta searches for a successor to Oleksandr Zinchenko, the Gunners have made the acquisition of a new left back a top priority for the forthcoming transfer window.

Despite interest from Newcastle and Bayern Munich, Arsenal is reportedly prepared to accept a fee of £38.5 million to acquire Zinchenko this summer.

If Arteta wants to keep the 27 appearances the Ukrainian international has made this season, he must find a suitable replacement.

Defensa Central, a Spanish news outlet, claims that Arsenal has been the club expressing the “most interest” in Gutierrez recently.

The 22-year-old’s brilliance has been instrumental in Girona’s success this season; the Spanish club is currently in second place in LaLiga.

This season, the full-back has appeared in 25 LaLiga games, contributing to eight clean sheets while scoring once and assisting on four goals.

Gutierrez to Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Manchester United
No one should be surprised that Arteta is keen on signing Gutierrez this summer; his performance will only improve with experience.

The youngster has become an integral part of Girona’s success since joining the club from Real Madrid in 2022.

But, Arsenal will not be the only team vying for his signature. Manchester United have also been rumoured to be interested in signing the Girona star as Erik ten Hag seeks to bolster United’s injury-prone roster with a player or players to replace Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

In addition, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a new minority shareholder at Manchester United, shares Gutierrez’s vision of Old Trafford as the ideal location to nurture brilliant young talent.

Unfortunately for the English club, Real Madrid has the ability to derail both of their plans.

The LaLiga powerhouses are allegedly contemplating activating a €8 million (£6 million) buy-back clause in his contract in the near future.

Despite Real Madrid’s proximity to a deal involving Bayern Munich left back Alphonso Davies, this remains the case. The option to sign Gutierrez and immediately sell him for a profit is still there.

Arsenal and Manchester United would have to pay a premium for the left back as a result of this.

Currently, reports indicate that Girona will look at offers for Gutierrez around £34 million from clubs other than Real Madrid.

Whether Arsenal or Manchester United make a move for the outstanding defender during the summer transfer window will be intriguing to watch.