For months, the Gunners have been after Dayot Upamecano and even had a £55m bid rejected for him prior to the 2019/20 campaign.
Reports have been rich with speculation regarding the 21-year-old’s future club as his deal with RB Leipzig runs down to an end. With just one more year remaining on his contract, Upamecano is likely to be sold off for a staggering sum of cash, something Arsenal are struggling to come up with right now.
Leipzig chief, Oliver Mintzlaff rubbished all rumours of Upamecano signing an extension with the Bundesliga outfit. He told Sport1, “In the Covid 19 crisis, we currently have other issues than concerns about contracts. We know the terms of the contracts of our players and I know them very well – especially that of our top performers.”
With the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, football clubs have taken a financial battering. Arsenal are one of the worse for wear among all top sides in the Premier League. Even if their owner, Stan Kroenke were to inject cash from his personal piggybank, they will struggle to come up with Upamecano’s reported €60m release clause. But Mintzlaff has admitted that the player’s departure is likely after this season.
“For us, it is a no-go that top performers leave free of charge,” Mintzlaff continued. “That’s the case with Timo Werner and will be the same with Dayot Upamecano. I have the economic side in mind.”
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