Real Madrid defender emerges as an option for Arsenal | OneFootball

It will be very interesting to see how Jose Mourinho shapes up his central defence next season, especially considering how he has looked for new signings of high quality.

The club already had some good players in the department, including Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen, but the new manager insisted on the arrival of Ibrahima Konate and continues to push for yet another player, possibly Alessandro Bastoni.

With such high quality in the central defence, the most affected player is Raul Asencio as the academy graduate will be pushed to the bottom of the pecking order. The club, thus, are looking to offload the player this summer.

An option for the UCL finalists

As reported by ESPN in a recent update, Premier League champions and UEFA Champions League runners-up Arsenal are looking for a new central defensive signing to replace Ben White.

An option for Arsenal. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

After all, the full-back suffered a knee ligament injury in May and could move abroad, ending his time in London. They have several options to replace him, and Asensio is one of the names on the list.

Also on their list are Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Oscar Mingueza, Tino Livramento and even Lutsharel Geertruida.

Not in Mourinho’s plans

As relayed earlier this month, Asencio is out of Mourinho’s plans for next season and the manager has even spoken to the player and made his decision known.

They value him at close to €25 million and are hoping to receive offers in that ballpark for the player. However, they concurrently know that his departure will not be simple especially given the wages he is on after his recent renewal.

Mourinho does not count on Asencio. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

As matters stand, there is no agreement with any club for the player and even Arsenal’s interest is purely speculative and at the initial stages.

For it to translate to a transfer from this point will require long negotiations, concessions and acceptance from the player’s side.

Last season, Asencio made 23 appearances and 18 starts for Real Madrid in La Liga and had two goals to show in addition to his defensive numbers.

He averaged over five defensive actions per game and had seven clean sheets to show at the end of the league campaign.