Arsenal in shock ‘negotiations’ with Ajax after ‘major winter operation’ launched | OneFootball

Arsenal and Ajax are in talks for the transfer of a midfielder who only changed clubs last summer, according to a report.

The final days of the January window at Arsenal are expected to be quiet ones with regards to arrivals. However, a handful of exits are on the cards, with Oleksandr Zinchenko amongst them.

The left-back is primed to return to north London once his underwhelming loan spell at Nottingham Forest is cut short.

Zinchenko was on course to join Dutch giants Ajax via the loan route, but given he’s out of contract in the summer, the two clubs are now discussing a cut-price permanent move instead.

And according to the latest from CaughtOffside, Zinchenko might not be the only Arsenal star heading to Amsterdam.

They state Ajax have launched a ‘major winter operation’ to add ‘leadership, experience, and defensive steel’ to their midfield.

As such, Ajax are drawn to Christian Norgaard and believe a deal can be struck, despite the fact the Dane only joined Arsenal from Brentford last summer.

From a stylistic point of view, Norgaard was the direct successor to Thomas Partey. But in truth, Partey’s place in the eleven was always going to be assumed by Martin Zubimendi and Norgaard has barely got on the pitch since moving to The Emirates.

CaughtOffside state Ajax ‘have already opened negotiations’ with Arsenal, while Norgaard is said to be receptive to moving on to ensure he gets back to playing regularly.

A permanent transfer is seemingly the method of move in play, with the report noting Arsenal are demanding a ‘reasonable’ fee.

Arsenal paid an initial £10m (rising to £15m through add-ons) when signing the defensive midfielder. The report claimed they’ll look for a package worth around €15m-€17m / £13m-£14.75m before cashing in.

While that may not sound like much, it would be a substantial fee to pay for a Dutch side, even one as big as Ajax.

If the deal ultimately proves too costly, others believed to be on their radar as alternatives to Norgaard include Manuel Ugarte, Wataru Endo and Lucas Torreira.

Of course, there is always the possibility of attempting to agree a six-month loan deal rather than a permanent transfer too.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are ready to sign yet another big-money striker in their long-standing quest to finally land a frontman capable of delivering the Premier League title.