The 2022/23 La Liga season concluded on Sunday and in the process, Arsenal may have been handed an ideal opportunity ahead of the summer transfer window.
With Barcelona confirmed as champions a number of weeks ago coupled with Real Sociedad claiming the final Champions League qualification spot, the last round of fixtures from Spain's top-flight mainly focused on the battle to avoid relegation with several teams involved.
And it turned out to be an evening full of twists and turns. The main action was at the RCDE Stadium where already relegated Espanyol drew 3-3 with Almeria. Ultimately, that point was enough for the visitors to secure survival and send Real Valladolid down instead.
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This could be rather significant for Arsenal given previous links to Ivan Fresneda. In fact, the 18-year-old’s agent, Luis Bardaji, has already explained why a reported £13million transfer failed to materialise in the January window with Borussia Dortmund also said to be watching developments closely.
"There have been around 30 teams interested," he told AS. "But the truth is that he has hardly aroused interest in Spanish football, but in Germany, France or England there has been interest. Some because they had a specific need in this market and others with a vision of the future, but times are what they are.
"Fresneda will be at Real Valladolid until the end of the season. We want him to have his feet on the ground and in other teams he was not going to have the continuity he needs now."
In truth, Fresneda certainly benefited from staying put as he featured regularly during the second half of the season, accumulating more than 1,000 minutes of first-team football in what has been a breakthrough campaign. But now another big decision could be on the horizon.
Valladolid's relegation may signal a summer exit for the right-back and for a cut-price fee too. Considering the Spanish club were negotiating at around £13million just a few months ago, there could be a chance for Arsenal to drive that price down even further and complete a bargain deal.
With that said, it would appear that the north London outfit are keeping their options open with regard to potential right-back signings in the summer transfer window as they have recently been linked with a move for Manchester City's Joao Cancelo and Galatasaray's Sacha Boey.
However, with Declan Rice a priority signing and the need to address other areas in the first-team squad, due to how the final day of the La Liga season unfolded, it could be that Fresenda emerges as the best option to suit Mikel Arteta's tactical plan and help the club save millions of pounds.
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