Arsenal ‘line up’ Man City hijack in £60m move for Newcastle ‘top asset’ | OneFootball

Arsenal are among the Premier League clubs interested in signing Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento, according to reports.

The Gunners are reportedly in the market for a new left-back as they weigh up signing Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis in the summer.

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Livramento has established himself as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. He is naturally a right-back, but has looked far more comfortable playing on the left.

That has given Newcastle boss Eddie Howe a decent option when all of his full-backs are fit.

And it has made the England international a serious option for the Premier League’s elite, with Manchester City and Arsenal both reportedly keen.

Arsenal, City battling for £60m Newcastle star

According to The Sun, Arsenal are ready to rival City for Livramento’s signature in the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that Newcastle value Livramento as ‘one of their top assets’ and is loved by Howe, who ‘doesn’t want to lose him on the cheap’.

The Magpies are expected to demand at least £60million for the former Chelsea youngster, who has two-and-a-half years left on his contract.

Unsurprisingly, the north east club want to agree a new deal with Livramento as a ‘priority’, though the player confirmed himself last month that there are currently no ongoing negotiations.

This has opened the door for Arsenal, who are ‘lining up’ the transfer as Mikel Arteta wants the defensive ‘competition’ amid Myles Lewis-Skelly’s ‘struggles’ in 2025/26.

The Gunners have competition from City, who have ‘long-term interest’ and will be ‘serious contenders’ in the summer, if no contract extension has been signed.

What would Livramento bring to Man City?

Although Livramento appears more convincing playing left-back, he would likely be signed by Pep Guardiola to play on the right.

He has used natural midfielder Matheus Nunes in right-back over the last year, and while the Portuguese has improved and impressed there, Guardiola will want a more natural option at his disposal, especially with Rico Lewis struggling to command a place in the team.

Nico O’Reilly is also a natural midfielder that the City manager has used in full-back, so Livramento could also be an option there, though Rayan Ait-Nouri was signed from Wolves last summer.

Do Arsenal actually need Livramento?

As for Arsenal, he would provide superb competition for places.

The jury remains out on summer signing Piero Hincapie, who only joined on loan and the Gunners could opt against signing permanently at the end of the season.

Hincapie’s uncertain future has opened the door for the summer arrival of another defender, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi also of interest.

Should the Ecuadorian return to Bayer Leverkusen, the signing of Livramento would sense.

Some Arsenal fans would argue that Lewis-Skelly’s presence makes the signing of Livramento unnecessary, but his recent performances have been quite concerning, especially the one against Liverpool on Thursday.

Lewis-Skelly is only 19 and has played a lot of football for his age, so signing another player to be ahead of him in the pecking order is not necessarily a bad thing. And him not looking up to speed is understandable when he has only started once in the Premier League this term.