Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta (Image source: Getty)
Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta (Image source: Getty)
Chelsea and Arsenal have reportedly reignited their interest in Boca Juniors star Tomas Aranda.
Earlier reports from Argentina had linked the two Premier League giants to Aranda in the summer, but Boca Juniors’ refusal to sell meant the 19-year-old is still at his boyhood club.
Aranda made his professional debut with Boca Juniors senior team in January 2026, but his performances have since attracted interest from top clubs.
According to El Intransigente, Chelsea and Arsenal continue to monitor Aranda, although neither side have yet to make a formal offer.
Chelsea are reportedly considering signing the youngster and sending him on loan to RC Strasbourg.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were reportedly the first to identify Aranda as a transfer target and have continued to monitor his progress.
Aranda has emerged as one of the promising stars in Argentine football and was included in Lionel Messi’s recent list of football future stars.
While his current market value stands at €12 million, according to Transfermarkt, Aranda’s contract with Boca Juniors reportedly includes a €17.8 million buyout clause, which will rise to €22.3 million before the start of the Argentine season next year.
However, the Boca Juniors academy graduate is currently on the sidelines and is expected to be out until December after a serious blow suffered in August.
In addition to Chelsea and Arsenal, Italian giants Napoli are reportedly keeping tabs on Aranda. Meanwhile, Boca Juniors are keen to keep the player.
Journalist offers opinion on how Arsenal ended up missing out on Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers
David Ornstein confirmed that Arsenal were a “strong suitor” for England international Morgan Rogers before Chelsea pipped their London rivals to sign the attacker.
Speaking on The Athletic FC Podcast, Ornstein stated that Arsenal were in talks with Aston Villa over a move for Rogers, but the Gunners did not have Villa’s asking price, a fee Chelsea ultimately paid.
“Arsenal were obviously a strong suitor for Morgan Rogers,” Ornstein said. “They had a firm interest in him and it was a situation that they worked on. There was clearly some sort of dialogue between Arsenal and Aston Villa. I’m not sure how smooth that dialogue was and of course there was a price point.
“There have been suggestions that the price was lower earlier in the window or that Arsenal could have got a deal done. But for whatever reason, they didn’t at that point. I think he was their leading option in that position at the moment in time. But there were others of course and you saw them consider their long-term interest in Julian Alvarez.
“There was a move towards Vinicius Junior if he hadn’t renewed with Real Madrid. But I think Arsenal had a really high opinion of Morgan Rogers. Ultimately, when time passed and the price got to a bracket that it ended up at, Arsenal were not there for that level of finance, Chelsea were.”
Ornstein suggested that Arsenal seemingly took too long to decide whether they wanted Rogers and suggested that the Gunners may be rueing not signing Rogers in hindsight following the player’s strong start to the season with the Blues.