6 months ago
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Arsenal and Manchester United will need to move quickly if they want to take advantage of the release clause in Jeremie Frimpong’s Bayer Leverkusen contract.
The 23-year-old wing-back has enjoyed a superb campaign with the new Bundesliga champions, scoring 14 goals and laying on 12 assists in a remarkable season.
Leverkusen are now just three matches away from going the entire season unbeaten, with one more league match – at home to Augsburg – followed by two Cup finals.
But despite playing a starring role in Leverkusen’s historic season, Frimpong could leave the BayArena this summer with a number of clubs queuing up to sign him.
According to Bild, a trio of Premier League sides – Arsenal, Manchester United and former club Manchester City – are all keen to try and prise him away from Leverkusen, with the Red Devils already holding talks with his agent.
Frimpong, who came through City’s academy before moving to Celtic, is leaning towards leaving and would be keen to test himself in the English top-flight, while he would also receive a massive salary increase.
On top of his obvious talent and huge attacking output, he is particularly attractive because he would count as a homegrown player.
Moreover, a deal would be relatively easy to do due to a release clause in his contract which means he can be signed for €40million (£34m) – a bargain in today’s market.
However, suitors have a very limited window in which to deposit the release clause – which must be paid in full – with the buyout expiring before the start of the Euros.
The tournament kicks off on June 14 when Germany host Scotland, which means interested clubs have exactly one month in which to trigger the release clause.
If they fail to do so, Leverkusen will be able to negotiate a fee and will likely demand considerably more than £34m for a player who has established himself as one of the most dynamic and adventurous wing-backs in Europe.
Bayern Munich are also thought to be interested in signing Frimpong, though the lack of clarity over their next manager works against them.
Arsenal have been exploring right-back options for some time and Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen to sign a more orthodox, attacking option to provide competition with Ben White.
But Frimpong could well enjoy a more prominent role at Manchester United, who have been tracking him for years, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka set to leave Old Trafford and the starting right-back role up for grabs.
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