Arsenal are keen on signing highly rated Spanish fullback Ivan Fresneda from Sporting CP, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manhã, as cited by Sport Witness.
Fresneda’s development began within the Real Madrid academy before he left for Leganés in 2020. His next move took him to Real Valladolid, where the defender quickly emerged as one of the most exciting fullback prospects in Spain.
He played an important part in Valladolid’s promotion to La Liga in 2023 and continued to stand out at the highest level despite the club eventually suffering relegation.
Fresneda’s displays piqued the interest of several clubs across Europe before Portuguese giants Sporting trumped other rivals to bring the youngster to Portugal, where he has continued to impress.
Since his arrival, he has featured in 89 games across all competitions for Sporting, playing a significant role in their back-to-back league title successes during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, while also helping the club win the Portuguese Cup in 2025.
In the ongoing season, the 22-year-old has been ever-present in Rui Borges’s team. He has featured in all seven Primeira Liga games, starting five of those while coming off the bench to help the Verde e Brancos secure a 3-1 win over Galatasaray.
Now, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manhã, as cited by Sport Witness, Fresneda’s latest call-up to the Spanish national team has increased his stock in the transfer market amid interest from clubs.
Exciting fullback
One of the clubs looking to sign the fullback is Arsenal, according to the report, which claims that the Premier League champions have expressed interest in signing the attacking ace.
Fresneda has previously been a target of Arsenal, with reports via Football Talk revealing in June that Arsenal have shortlisted Fresneda among their potential left-back options.
Although Fresneda’s valuation has increased after he remained at Estádio José Alvalade last summer, the Gunners remain keen on signing the Spaniard after last season’s interest, as per the report.
However, a deal won’t be easy, as the Portuguese outlet adds that Sporting are keen on extending the contract of the Spanish international, who is also of interest to European giants Barcelona.
Fresneda is an exciting fullback who is efficient on the ball, threatening when going forward and combative when defending.
Having played most of his career as a right back, he would offer a different tactical dimension to Ben White and Jurrien Timber.
With his stock increasing following his latest call-up to Spain, Arsenal will need to submit a concrete offer well above his £17m Transfermarkt valuation to convince Sporting to sell him
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