Jose Mourinho has reportedly given the green light for Fenerbahce to bid for Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Having arrived from Manchester City in 2022, the Ukrainian left-back has since fallen down the pecking order following the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly and as such, Arsenal are said to be open to allowing the 28-year-old to depart.
With interest earlier in the summer from Fulham and Milan, Fenerbahce now appear to be closest to making a deal with Turkish reporter Secran Hamzaoglu reporting that negotiations between the clubs took place in England with sporting director Devin Ozek meeting the player alongside Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta.
Arsenal want €15m for the player but reportedly said “If you reach an agreement with Zinchenko, we will facilitate.” Zinchencko is heading into the final 12 months of his contract.
Mourinho reportedly “wants him” with Jhon Duran, Sofyan Amrabat and Milan Skriniar having already joined the club this summer.
Zinchencko has played 91 times for the Gunners, scoring three goals and assisting five in that time. He was part of a summer of change for the London side which saw Gabriel Jesus also arrive from the Etihad.
The Ukrainian has however not won anything since being at Arsenal, in stark contrast to his time at City where he won 11 trophies.
The midfielder turned full back arrived in England in 2016, joining City for a fee of £1.7m from Russian club Ufa.
Arsenal then paid £30m for the player who made 128 appearances for Pep Gauridla’s side.
Mikel Arteta’s team have had an expensive summer with almost £200m spent on transfer fees for the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke.
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There has been relatively little money coming in either with only Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos leaving for a fee.
If the deal does come off, it could help fund Arsenal’s pursuit of Eberechi Eze although recent reports suggest the Crystal Palace player may end up at a different stadium in north London.
Fabrizio Romano claims that while working on a deal for Savinho, Tottenham Hotspur are also in talks to sign Eze following an injury to James Maddison and Son Heung-min’s departure.
Eze is apparently ‘keen’ but Romano claims his release clause is ‘expired’ so Palace are free to demand a price.
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