Arsenal are reportedly ready to challenge Manchester United and Manchester City for Brighton star Jack Hinshelwood. The 21-year-old midfielder has caught the eye of Arsenal's scouting department and the club are said to be readying an official bid.
Hinshelwood's Profile and Versatility
Hinshelwood is an England under-21 international who already has a great deal of Premier League experience, having made 79 appearances for Brighton, with 12 goals and seven assists to his name.
His versatility is a real selling point: he is capable of playing across midfielder or in both full-back positions. That is particularly attractive to Mikel Arteta, who is known to favour players who can offer him tactical flexibility.
Brighton's Valuation and Competition
Brighton have proven to be shrewd negotiators in recent years and reportedly value their academy graduate around the £43m to £51m mark. The Sun reports that United have longstanding interest in Hinshelwood while City are also weighing up a move.
United have already enquired about Hinshelwood's availability and are planning their own offer. He is under contract with Brighton until June 2029 and the multiple interested parties could help the Seagulls drive up the price.
Clubs' Summer Spending and Managerial Comments
Arsenal have already spent £75m to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, but remain keen to add further depth to their squad. United, meanwhile, have brought in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined £85m, yet Michael Carrick wants another central midfielder for his squad.
Arteta has been very open about the need for more arrivals this summer, with Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis the only major additions so far. “There is more that we want to do, because every time we have an opportunity to improve the squad and bring more quality and depth, we need to do that,” he said this week.
“We’re actively trying to do so – the thing is, in the market, it doesn’t just depend on you, and we’re very clear on that. The will and the desire of the club is unquestionable, but we cannot promise that we’re going to do it because it doesn’t only depend on us.”
Carrick has been similarly forthright in his words, with United going over a month since their last signing. A left-back to provide competition for Luke Shaw is the other area of interest along with midfield.
"I think we've got a pretty good balance in all when you lay the squad out, but we would like more, we need to keep pushing for more," he said.
"There's one or two areas where we'd like to improve and we feel that there's the possibility to improve, but again, that needs to be something that we can do that makes us better and improves the group, whether that's quality or whether that's a little bit of depth. That's something we've got to manage. That's pretty obvious."
City have splashed £116m on Elliot Anderson but still want another addition in central midfield, with Barcelona trying to prise Rodri away and Tijjani Reijnders leaving for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah in a £52m deal.
