Arsenal and Manchester City 'lead transfer race' for Bundesliga defender

Arsenal and Manchester City are reportedly 'leading' the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown.

After finishing second in the league for three seasons in a row, the Gunners once again have spent heavily in the summer window to assemble a strong squad capable of winning the Premier League.

The Bundesliga has been serving as a breeding ground for some of Europe's top young talents in recent years, and it does not come as a big surprise that Arsenal and Man City, along with other Premier League clubs, are keeping a close eye on one of the promising left-backs in Germany.

According to a report from CaughtOffside, the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Manchester United are also closely monitoring the burgeoning growth of the 21-year-old defender.

Rise of Arsenal, Man City-linked Brown - a fantastic talent

Brown progressed through the youth ranks at FC Nurnberg before joining Frankfurt in the January window of 2024. The defender was sent on loan to Nuremberg for the rest of the campaign.

In his first season at the Bundesliga club, Brown impressed heavily with his commanding display, as he registered three goals and seven assists in all competitions.

Strong at tackling, capable of playing smart through passes as a traditional left-back in a back four or as a wing back, the youngster has already scored one goal in the current campaign and provided an assist in the Champions League clash against Galatasaray.

The report claims that Arsenal and Man City are weighing up the possibility of opening talks in the near future for Brown as they look to strengthen their option on the left side of defence.

Do Arsenal and Man City need Brown?

There is a prevailing sentiment among many pundits that Arsenal has the best squad in the Premier League, but fears are mounting that the Gunners may struggle to get over the line under Mikel Arteta, after trailing Liverpool by five points after five games.

Do Arsenal need another left-back? Arteta has Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Piero Hincapie, and Jurrien Timber as options for the left-back role, and as such, stockpiling in that area may not be a brilliant idea.

However, considering their luck with injuries and their reputation for signing young talents, it will not come as a surprise if the Gunners decide to take a punt on the exciting left-back in the near future.

Man City, on the other hand, signed Rayan Ait-Nouri in the summer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Pep Guardiola has Nathan Ake and Nico O'Reilly as alternatives in the left-back area. However, they could still be interested in signing the Frankfurt youngster, considering his potential and talent.