Arsenal given £35m discount as ‘frustrated’ Real Madrid star vies for January move

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta oversaw one of the busiest and productive summer transfer windows in recent memory at the Emirates, but an unmissable January opportunity could be too good to ignore.

Berta broke the club’s total transfer window record with an unprecedented summer spending spree nearing £270 million, backing Mikel Arteta to the hilt as Arsenal attempt to end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

The Gunners made eight major additions to their squad, addressing key areas of weakness and adding real depth that had been lacking in previous campaigns.

The jewel in Arsenal’s summer recruitment crown was Viktor Gyokeres, who arrived from Sporting Lisbon to finally solve the club’s long-standing centre-forward problem. The Swede’s agent even waived his £6 million commission to help facilitate the deal after two seasons of Gyokeres free scoring in Portugal, and while he hasn’t exactly hit those heights just yet, it could simply be a matter of settling in as he also fights to return from injury.

Martin Zubimendi was another major coup, with the ex-Real Sociedad maestro bolstering Arsenal’s engine room and allowing Declan Rice more freedom to roam forward. Arsenal beat Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze as well, tempting the former Crystal Palace star from under Thomas Frank’s nose in what was one of the best transfer hijacks in recent memory.

Noni Madueke — who seriously impressed prior to being sidelined with a knee injury — Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard made up the rest of Berta’s recruitment drive, and all of them have barely set a foot wrong thus far when fit and available.

Given Arsenal aren’t usually active in January, with the exceptions of Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior in recent years, alongside their record-breaking summer, you could be forgiven for thinking that the winter could look fairly quiet at N5.

However, recent reports indicate that may not be the case.

Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard’s deals both expire in 2027, meaning Arsenal must think about the long-term when it comes to Arteta’s left wing.

As such, some media sources believe that Arsenal could make a move for Lyon’s Malick Fofana, and they retain an interest in Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

Arsenal given £35m Rodrygo discount as Real Madrid star vies for January move

The Brazil international was a summer target for Arsenal, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, and exploratory talks were held over a potential deal back in May.

Links continued into 2025, but the cost of a deal and difficulties surrounding the mere logistics appeared to thwart a transfer to north London.

However, according to TEAMtalk, Arsenal remain keen on Rodrygo ahead of January, and the ‘frustrated’ Real forward is increasingly tempted to leave the Bernabeu in pursuit of more game time.

What’s more, Arsenal have been handed a significant boost in their pursuit of Rodrygo, with Xabi Alonso’s side dramatically reducing their asking price by £35 million — opening the door for Berta to potentially strike a deal.

His summer price tag was around £88 million, but Real have now slashed it to around £53 million amid interest from Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

The 24-year-old’s situation at Real has become increasingly uncertain after falling down the pecking order and starting just two La Liga games this season, with Rodrygo struggling to cement a regular position and casting doubt over his place in the team.

With the 2026 World Cup looming, Rodrygo will be desperate to play regularly and ensure a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.

Arsenal could offer him a route out, but it is also believed that title rivals City are the favourites for his signature as things stand. Despite not being fancied by Alonso, teammate Jude Belligham has previously called Rodrygo the club’s most “gifted” and “underrated” player.