Arsenal now very keen on signing “extraordinary” £52m maestro likened to Xhaka…

Arsenal is currently very interested in acquiring an “extraordinary” midfielder, who has been compared to former player Granit Xhaka.

The Gunners have entered the competition for this midfielder despite undergoing a summer rebuild.

After Thomas Partey’s exit, Mikel Arteta needed to revamp his midfield during the summer transfer window, with Martin Zubimendi being the standout signing, arriving from Real Sociedad.

Zubimendi has made an impressive start at the Emirates Stadium, notably scoring two goals in the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in September, which earned him significant praise from Arteta.

He is not the only new addition, as Cristian Norgaard joined from Brentford, and attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze came from Crystal Palace, with the 13-time England international providing two assists in his first five Premier League matches.

Despite the extensive rebuild, the north London club has now entered the fray for another central midfielder, as reported by Caught Offside, indicating that Arsenal is interested in signing FC Porto’s Victor Froholdt.

Indeed, despite considerable interest in Froholdt from Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Atletico Madrid, the Gunners are reportedly ‘particularly keen’, seeing him as a potential ‘cornerstone’ for their future midfield.

Arteta’s coaching staff have been notably impressed by the Dane’s ‘passing range and intelligence’, and his capacity to control the game’s tempo has drawn comparisons to Xhaka, who played seven seasons at the Emirates Stadium.

Porto is open to offers for the 19-year-old, but the Portuguese club is expected to seek a relatively high fee of around €50m – €60m (£43m – £52m).

Froholdt has the potential to be an “extraordinary” long-term asset for Arsenal.

Once referred to as “extraordinary” by a Danish analyst, this teenager is a highly versatile central midfielder, as demonstrated by his performance across several key metrics over the past year.

After making a mark with FC Copenhagen, where he scored eight goals and provided six assists in 62 appearances, the Dane has established himself as a vital player for Porto, starting in all eight Liga Portugal matches this season.

Recently, the young talent scored his first goal for Denmark during their 6-0 win over Belarus last week, also contributing an assist and achieving an impressive 93% pass-completion rate.

Although Arteta has already signed Norgaard and Zubimendi during the summer, reducing the immediate need for a new central midfielder, Froholdt is beginning to demonstrate that he could be an excellent long-term addition to the team.