Sources: “One to watch” – Arsenal in race to sign wonderkid with “bargain” release clause

Arsenal have been monitoring highly-rated Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza at Elche for some time now.

As first reported by Sam Dean of the Telegraph, I can confirm that the Gunners are one of the teams who really admire Mendoza, and I’m told that their interest goes back a couple of years.

Arsenal have been keeping close tabs on Mendoza while he was playing in Spain’s second tier, and he’s continued to impress since Elche’s promotion, putting in some eye-catching displays in La Liga this term.

Arsenal among transfer suitors for Rodrigo Mendoza

Arsenal are far from the only club showing interest in the 20-year-old, however, with the player also having plenty of interest from within Spain.

Real Madrid have already been mentioned by the Telegraph, and I can also reveal concrete interest from Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, as per my sources.

“Arsenal really like Mendoza,” one source with ties to the agents industry told me. “He’s seen as a potential bargain due to his €20m release clause, but Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are there too. Nothing imminent happening, but one to watch for next summer, for sure.”

Mikel Arteta has done well dipping into the market for players from his native Spain, with recent purchases like Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Cristhian Mosquera proving to be major success stories.

Mendoza looks like another fine talent who could flourish at the Emirates Stadium, but it’s not yet clear if he’d prefer the move to north London over staying in Spain at this point in his career.

Zubimendi, for instance, decided against leaving Real Sociedad in summer 2024, delaying a move until the following summer, and it might be that Mendoza will end up being a similar one that Arsenal fans will have to be a bit patient for.

Arsenal building for the future

Arsenal currently have a pretty experienced squad that looks capable of winning major trophies in the immediate future, but they could also do with ensuring they have a long-term structure in place.

That means having young talents ready to come in and replace these current first-team stars when they are past the peak of their powers.

Mendoza, who has been compared with Barcelona’s Pedri, looks ideal to perhaps come in as the long-term successor to Martin Odegaard at some point, while he could also be someone whose value will increase, giving the club the opportunity to improve their record when it comes to selling for a profit.

Mendoza will also surely be seen as more than that, though, and it seems inevitable that other big clubs will join the race for his signature before too long.

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