'On the horizon' - Arsenal's £20m signing tipped for exit as Serie A trio plot January transfer bids

Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu is predicted to become a popular target in the upcoming January transfer window, with reports suggesting that a trio of Italian clubs are already eyeing a potential move for the Japanese defender.

The 25-year-old is once again on the sidelines after continuing to be plagued by an ongoing knee injury.  Last season, he played around 1,200 minutes, primarily as right-back, but missed much of the second half due to undergoing knee surgery. 

Such problems have persisted throughout the early stages of this season and he is yet to make an appearance in the 2024/25 campaign as he continues his rehabilitation.

He is back in training with Mikel Arteta’s side - with hesitant indications that he could be fit to join the squad to face Leicester this weekend - but there is a strong understanding in Italy that he is unlikely to gain many more minutes on the pitch and a move away from the Emirates is ‘on the horizon’.

Since joining the club in 2021 for a fee reported to have been between £15-17 million, Tomiyasu has been deployed as a right-back, left-back and centre-back by Arteta.

However, with the summer arrival of Riccardo Calafiori and the return of Jurrien Timber from injury, the Japan international’s chances of breaking back into the starting XI on a consistent basis seem minimal.

Last Thursday, The Sun via TeamTalk, reported that Inter Milan had made Tomiyasu their number one January target and, at the time, the Arsenal sporting director was likely to demand £25m for the Japanese star’s signature.

Italian news outlet Calciomercato then further added to this by  noting that Inter are not the only Serie A giants keeping tabs on the 25-year-old, with Juventus having also joined the race. Now the news of Tomiyasu’s departure has been further documented, with SportMediaSet reporting the defender ‘desires a change of scenery in January’.

It is also stated that Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan are all ‘lurking’ around the player and have an interest in signing him. The Gunners are now also set to consider offers worth ‘around €20m’ (£17m) but it is noted that despite the confidence from the Italian sides, any move is set to depend on how the Arsenal head coach views his squad at the time.

Similarly, the aforementioned £17m could prove a figure too low if Tomiyasu is able to prove his return to fitness. 

Arsenal’s next fixture, an EFL Cup third round clash against Bolton at the Emirates on Wednesday 25 September, will undoubtedly come too soon for Tomiyasu’s potential match-day return.