Ivan Fresneda has told Real Valladolid fans he is not leaving the club this month despite an offer from Arsenal.
The 18-year-old has become a regular in Jose Roko Martin’s side this season with his performances attracting the attention of Mikel Arteta.
Both the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund have reportedly agreed a fee of £13million with the La Liga side for his services, with the Bundesliga side believing they can offer a more direct route in the first-team.
Valladolid are eager to keep the player at the club until the end of the season, with both sides thought to be open to loaning him back to the Spanish side for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign.
Fresneda was left out of the Valladolid squad against Valencia on Saturday and while speculation over his long-term future is intensifying, he has reassured fans he is not on the brink of leaving.
After stopping to sign shirts for young Valladolid fans, the right-back was heard saying: ‘No, I’m not leaving, calm down.’
It follows reports from Marca that any deal for Fresneda has now been postponed until the summer.
Arsenal’s immediate focus is on a deal to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. The Premier League leaders saw an offer of £60m rejected on Friday with Brighton turning away an improved offer worth £70m on Sunday night.
With the January transfer window set to close on Tuesday, the north London side are now considering making a third offer for the 21-year-old midfielder with Brighton thought to be demanding a huge £90m this month.
The Gunners are also considering stepping away from the deal, however.
‘Caicedo is a very, very good guy,’ Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said after the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday. ‘I can understand him because when you are 21, and you receive the request of a big, big team that are playing in Europe, I can understand.
‘I would like that he can finish the season with us but we are ready to go forward without him. I think we need some players in some positions.
‘I spoke a lot of time with Tony (Bloom) he knows very well my opinion because we are a good team but we can improve also from the transfer market.
‘We lost Trossard, if we lose also Caicedo it can be a problem for us. If we want to fight for Europe, or the maximum on the table. If we want to stay like this (at our current level), we can. But I don’t like.’
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