Arsenal ‘closely monitoring’ La Liga star in potential record transfer | OneFootball

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing a La Liga midfielder with a £17.5million release clause and are ‘closely monitoring’ his progress.

The Gunners spent big in the summer transfer window as Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Ebere Eze joined as Mikel Arteta’s marquee signings.

It’s been money well spent so far as Arsenal sit top of the Premier League, six points above Chelsea in second, after 12 games.

Arsenal top of the Premier League: F365 Tables

Arsenal are unlikely to make further additions in the winter transfer window, but if the right market opportunity arises, Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta will look to take advantage.

One potential market opportunity is Elche and Spain Under-21 midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are ‘closely monitoring’ the 20-year-old and are considering making a move for him in January.

There is ‘intense competition’ for Mendoza’s signature, with ‘some of the biggest teams in Spain and Italy’ also interested.

Mendoza has a release clause worth €20m (£17.5m), which would be a record sale for Elche if triggered.

Among those keen are Real Madrid, who are ‘long-term admirers’ of the player likened to Barcelona and Spain playmaker Pedri.

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However, it’s believed that Mendoza is ‘more likely to leave next summer than in the January transfer window’.

A winter move ‘cannot be ruled out’ and if his release clause is triggered, there won’t be much Elche can do to stop him leaving.

Arsenal have a good ol’ secret weapon in Cristhian Mosquera, who is Mendoza’s team-mate for the Spanish Under-21 side.

Whether or not they are pals and if Mosquera will have a word in his ear is very much unclear, but it’s a nice and easy scenario to create in your head.

Mendoza’s underwhelming numbers don’t matter

Mendoza’s numbers are very underwhelming. In key metrics like key passes, he only has eight in La Liga this season, ranking him joint 99th in the division.

The most important statistic for Mendoza right now is minutes played. When compared to the rest of La Liga, he doesn’t rank too convincingly in key metrics, though his take-on numbers are impressive, completing 11 of his 21 attempted. His 52.4 success percentage beats Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Nico Williams.

He’s getting some priceless experience this season. In 2025/26, Mendoza has played nine times in La Liga, starting on five occasions.

That level of trust in a 20-year-old midfielder tells us as much as 30 key passes and 50 take-ons won, for example.