Arsenal wants to bolster its defense for the long term and is eyeing two young former Real Madrid players, but signing them won't be easy.
Arsenal is accelerating efforts to bolster its backline this summer and has set its sights on Jacobo Ramon, the center back who is dazzling at Como in Serie A.
Mikel Arteta is looking for a young profile who can provide rest and, in the medium term, compete for the spot with Gabriel Magalhaes, 28, who has shown some physical inconsistency after a string of muscle problems in recent months that worry those at the Emirates.
According to CaughtOffside, the London club's sporting department has impeccable reports on the 21-year-old Madrid-born defender, but he is not the only name on the Gunners' table.
The English club is also closely monitoring the progress of Victor Valdepenas, another defender with Valdebebas DNA who fits into that policy of signing young talent to bolster a project that wants to keep fighting for the Premier League and the Champions League.
The interest in Valdepenas is no coincidence, as Arsenal is looking for players with good ball distribution and the ability to play with a high defensive line, qualities that both center-backs share.
The club's scouts have followed their progress on several occasions this season, and the verdict is unanimous: they are the ideal candidates to accompany William Saliba in securing the future of the defense, given the age of some current squad members.
The operation for Jacobo Ramon is shaping up to be complicated because Real Madrid kept a buyback option and a 50% stake in a future sale when it facilitated his departure to Cesc Fabregas' team last summer.
This clause allows the white club to recover the player at an affordable price or, failing that, to significantly raise the transfer fee to the Premier League to secure a substantial financial profit that Como will not be able to ignore.
Chelsea is the other big name in this bidding war, as the Blues have kept the player on their list of future targets for months as part of their strategy of recruiting the best prospects on the continent.
However, Arsenal appears to have taken the lead in contact, convinced that Arteta's project is more attractive to the player, enabling him to continue growing in the elite after his successful spell in Italian football.
In the London offices, they know that any move will trigger alarms at Chamartin, where they could repeat the formula used with Nico Paz and buy the player back before he flies to England.
The center-back market promises to be one of the big soap operas of the summer, with Arsenal determined to make a statement of authority to take one of the most sought-after pieces on the international market.
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