Will Myles Lewis-Skelly leave Arsenal? Manchester United interest and Chelsea stance explained | OneFootball

Gunners left-back has been offered to Premier League rivals in surprise transfer twist

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future at Arsenal has again been thrown into doubt.

Just a few months ago, a summer exit was on the cards for the teenager despite a growing reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.

When the season ticked into April, Lewis-Skelly had made just one Premier League start as the Gunners pushed for a first Premier League title in more than two decades.

He had seemingly lost the trust of Mikel Arteta, having fallen behind both Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order at left-back.

Less than two months later, he was a regular starter in midfield, a Premier League champion and a starter in a Champions League final aged just 19 years old.

Fast-forward another two months and news emerged of Lewis-Skelly being offered to clubs, namely Chelsea and Manchester United. So, what has happened?

Arsenal’s stance

Arsenal's record sale is still just the £35million they received from Liverpool for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017.

It would take a fee well in excess of that for the Gunners to sanction Lewis-Skelly leaving this summer, but it has not been ruled out that a huge offer would be considered.

Arsenal spent £75m on Bruno Guimaraes and are still in the market for a winger and a versatile defender.

The club would prefer to sell the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira to help fund that, but a more high-profile departure is still a possibility.

The Gunners are in a strong position with Lewis-Skelly's contract, a year on from the teenager signing a new deal through to 2030.

A sale would represent pure profit on the club's balance sheet, easing the situation with the financial rules.

In two months which could dictate the remainder of his career, Lewis-Skelly was moved by Mikel Arteta into midfield, ahead of an exhausted Martin Zubimendi.

It is the player’s preferred position, where he sees himself playing moving forwards. He ended the season as the preferred midfield partner to Declan Rice, above Zubimendi in the pecking order.

The arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, for £75million, pushes Lewis-Skelly back down.

The Athletic report that Lewis-Skelly remains undeterred and fully focused on establishing himself in Arteta’s first-team plans for the upcoming season.

This stance will come as no surprise to Gunners supporters - if his words after signing a new contract just last summer are anything to go by.

“I’m a fan and it’s like a dream come true,” he said. “I've still got a lot of years ahead of me, so if I can keep staying humble and being a good person, that's the most important thing to me.

“I want a legacy. I want to win everything there is to win in the game. I want to win trophies on the biggest stages whilst being a person that's always learning and stays grounded, which is so important.”

Chelsea interest

Standard Sport understands that Chelsea is among a number of clubs to have been offered the chance to sign Lewis-Skelly this summer.

It is understood that several clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United, have been approached by intermediaries.

Chelsea are believed to have followed up by making enquiries with Arsenal about the situation as a result.

Since then, Chelsea have announced the signing of left-back Pep Chavarria so are well-stocked at full-back.

In midfield, Andrey Santos was sold to Manchester United but Chelsea can call upon the likes of Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo, who was named captain last weekend, and summer signings Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco to partner Moises Caicedo.

Enzo Fernandez is attracting interest from Manchester City, but an exit for the Argentine is not currently expected with Chelsea demanding £120m.

Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans

Getty

Manchester United’s interest

Man Utd have this summer been in the market for a new left-back.

Luke Shaw appears to have shaken off his long-standing fitness woes, but he is the only recognised left-back in Michael Carrick first-team squad ahead of the added commitments of Champions League football.

Standard Sport understands that Manchester United were offered the player, but Lewis Hall has been their first-choice target all summer. Newcastle’s tough stance has made any possible deal extremely hard to pull off.

It remains to be seen if Lewis-Skelly would even be interested in moving to Old Trafford to play in a position he does not prefer, but The Guardian report that Man Utd could explore a deal should they decide to renew efforts to sign a new left-back.

Man Utd could still add another new midfielder to their squad this summer despite signing Youri Tielemans and the aforementioned Santos, with Manuel Ugarte ruled out for a number of months with a serious knee injury.

Carrick went into the summer wanting two new midfielders ahead of the planned departure of Casemiro, and Ugarte’s injury further depletes his options in the middle.