Juventus facing competition from Serie A for Arsenal defender | OneFootball

Juventus continue to monitor Arsenal wantaway defender Jakub Kiwior who could be an option for January, but Napoli have reportedly emerged as an alternative destination.

The Tychy native earned fame during his time at Spezia. Although he had several suitors in Serie A, including the Old Lady, he ended up signing for the Gunners in January 2023 for 19 million euros.

However, the Polish centre-back has been struggling for playing time at Mikel Arteta’s court. Gabriel and William Saliba remain the preferred options at the heart of the backline, while Riccardo Calafiori’s arrival last summer pushed Kiwior further down in the pecking order.

Therefore, the 24-year-old has only made five appearances in the Premier League and one in the Champions League, all coming off the bench. His only two starts this season ensued in the Carabao Cup.

In recent weeks, Kiwior has emerged as one of the main candidates to sign for Juventus in January.

The Serie A giants are desperate to add quality depth to their defensive department after losing Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal to season-ending ACL injuries. Juventus Football Director Cristiano Giuntoli has confirmed the club’s desire to sign a new defender in January.

But while Juventus are being linked with a host of profiles, the Arsenal benchwarmer could be a serious possibility due to his unsatisfactory position at the Emirates, in addition to being an old pupil of Thiago Motta due to their time together at Spezia.

Nevertheless, Italian journalist Niccolo Ceccarini believes that the Poland international is also a transfer target for Napoli who are also looking to bolster Antonio Conte’s backline.

“Napoli is also always operating on the market. The Partenopei are looking to add depth in defense. The Buongiorno-Rrahmani duo represents a guarantee but the idea of ​​the club is to further enrich the department with a quality addition,” explains the TuttoMercatoWeb editor-in-chief via JuventusNews24.

“Arsenal’s Kiwior remains a hypothesis but it is clear that Napoli is also looking beyond him, and have other options on the shortlist.”

Kiwior’s contract with the North London giants is valid until June 2028.