Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta (Photo by Naomi Baker, Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal and Manchester City are interested in signing the highly talented Spanish prospect Rodrigo Mendoza.
The Elche midfielder could head to north London during the January transfer window. According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Arsenal are preparing to sign the 20-year-old. Real Madrid and Juventus are also reportedly interested in the player.
Arsenal find out the asking price for Rodrigo Mendoza
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal can win the race for his signature. He must pay £7.6 million to complete the deal. His contract with Elche runs until 2028 and has a release clause.
Spanish teams will not want to sell him cheap. For the transfer to take place, the release clause in his contract would need to be triggered. Mendoza has been called a “special player.”
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal are prepared to pay that. For a club with Arsenal’s resources, the asking price is quite reasonable. The 20-year-old has the potential to develop into an important first-team player for the club with the right guidance and could easily justify the investment.
However, Arsenal have a wealth of players in the center of the park and Mendoza could struggle to earn regular minutes at the London club. It will be interesting to see what decision he makes. He will aim to play regularly at this stage of his career. There’s no appeal to him sitting on the bench at Arsenal.
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Man City eye Mendoza
Manchester City are also interested in the player. In the middle of the park you need more control and creativity. They could offer Mendoza more opportunities.
The 20-year-old has been likened to Barcelona star Pedri, and Manchester City could sign a player like him. It will be interesting to see which of the two clubs can conclude a contract. The asking price is quite affordable for both teams.
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