Earlier today, Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sport reported that Arsenal are interested in Christian Kofane. The agent of the 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen star has now confirmed the reports from Germany and believes the Gunners are best placed to sign his client from the Bundesliga at the end of this season.
Arsenal were recently deeply impressed by Kofane in the Champions League round of 16 against Leverkusen. Although the six-time Cameroon international did not score in the lost tie (1-1, 2-0), he left a lasting impression.
Leverkusen signed Kofane last summer for a modest fee of around five million euros from Spanish second-tier side Albacete. Kofane did not immediately get much playing time under manager Erik ten Hag, but climbed the ranks shortly after the Haaksberger’s dismissal.
Kofane features in almost every match forthe Werkself, where he is now more often than not in the starting line-up. So far, he has scored 7 goals and provided 8 assists in 39 appearances for Leverkusen, where he has a contract until mid-2029.
As well as Arsenal, other top English clubs are interested in Kofane, who is also being closely monitored by Real Madrid. According to Plettenberg, Leverkusen are demanding between 60 and 70 million euros for the striker, and the board are already in contact with Kofane’s agent regarding a transfer.
That agent, Eric Depolo, has now confirmed toDaily Arsenal that his client is attracting interest from North London. “Yes, Arsenal’s interest is genuine. The manager (Mikel Arteta, ed.) is very taken with him.”
Depolo also reveals straight away which other clubs are keeping a close eye on Kofane: Chelsea, Newcastle United, Everton, Brentford, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, Depolo believes Arsenal are in pole position.
“I think it’s still too early to say anything, but given that the player speaks Spanish, just like Mikel Arteta, and that William Saliba is originally from Cameroon, I’d say Arsenal have the best chance.”
“Yes, there is contact between me and Arsenal. But their focus is currently on winning the league – everything will fall into place from there. He is a player worth 100 million euros. With Kofane, Arsenal will have a top striker for the next 10 years.”
“I’ve never received as many calls about Kofane as I am now. He is currently the best striker under 21 in Europe and the most complete. He is quick, technically strong, defends excellently and is strong in the air. It is very difficult to find all these qualities in a single striker,” said Depolo, who concluded by confirming that Arsenal are preparing an official bid for next summer.