Portuguese titans Porto are reportedly growing confident of sealing a deal for Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior in the last knockings of the transfer window.
The 25-year-old has served as Gabriel Magalhaes's backup for the past two-and-a-half seasons in North London and has now been pushed further down the pecking order by new signing Cristhian Mosquera.
Kiwior is also still waiting for his first minutes of the Premier League season; after failing to make the squad against Manchester United, he was an unused substitute in Saturday's 5-0 battering of Leeds United.
Talk of the Poland international potentially leaving the club has been ramping up in recent days, but Arsenal can demand a sizeable fee given that he is under contract at the Emirates Stadium for another three seasons.
Now, journalist Ben Jacobs claims that Porto - who have already signed one Polish centre-back this summer in Jan Bednarek from Southampton - are increasingly optimistic about their chances of striking an agreement for Kiwior's signature.
Kiwior deal structure and timeline revealed as Porto 'confident' of Arsenal agreement
Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior pictured on April 8, 2025
The Primeira Liga outfit are supposedly pushing for an initial loan move with an obligation for a permanent move in 2026, and they are hopeful of shaking hands with Arsenal on a deal in the early stages of this week.
While nothing has been finalised on the club or player's side, Kiwior's preference is to leave the Premier League if he is to say goodbye to Arsenal, in spite of apparent interest from Crystal Palace.
The Eagles are at risk of losing Marc Guehi either this summer or on a free transfer in 2026, and Arsenal are even believed to have held internal discussions over a deal for the Englishman, but Liverpool remains his likeliest next destination.
Kiwior is seeking a fresh challenge away from the Premier League, though, and he could depart Arsenal having scored three goals and set up five more in 68 appearances for Mikel Arteta's side in all tournaments since joining from Spezia in 2023.
Does Kiwior still have a part to play at Arsenal?
Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior pictured on September 19, 2024
For the first two years of his Gunners career, Kiwior never truly convinced in the heart of the backline alongside William Saliba, and many fears were raised when Gabriel Magalhaes suffered his serious hamstring injury last term.
However, Kiwior defied the doubters to shine in the Brazilian's absence, playing a fundamental role in the Gunners's 5-1 aggregate thrashing of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, where he arguably looked the more composed out of himself and Saliba.
Through no fault of his own, though, Kiwior was always going to drop back down to the bench when Gabriel was fit and firing again; the South American's partnership with Saliba and set-piece nous in both boxes are invaluable to Arteta.
Furthermore, Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori - who has started the season incredibly brightly - can fill in at left centre-back too, so Kiwior is now simply surplus to requirements in North London.
Andrea Berta must ensure that the Gunners get an appropriate fee for the 25-year-old, though; he was signed for £16.9m in 2023, and thanks to his Champions League exploits in particular last season, a £25m asking price is more than fair.
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