Club actually tried to sign ‘exceptional’ Arsenal star but Andrea Berta’s demands ‘scared’ them off

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Andrea Berta has done a phenomenal job since becoming Arsenal’s sporting director.

The Italian came to the Emirates with over a decade of experience under his belt at Atletico Madrid. He replaced Edu Gaspar, and it’s safe to say that Berta has been an upgrade.

Arsenal have completed six new signings already this summer, while contract extensions of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes have been done too. Ethan Nwaneri has also agreed a new deal at the Emirates.

The focus, for now, should be on outgoings, and it looks like Berta is not messing around on that front either.

Andrea Berta’s demand for Arsenal star Jakub Kiwior ‘scared’ FC Porto away

Jakub Kiwior has been at Arsenal since January 2023.

The Poland international joined the Gunners for €20 million (~£17m) from Spezia, and he has mostly been a backup at the Emirates Stadium.

Kiwior was linked with a move away from Arsenal in January, but Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay. That proved to be the right decision as he was ‘exceptional‘ towards the end of the campaign.

Now, the Pole is being linked with a move away again, and Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that Arsenal had rejected an offer from Portugal for Kiwior.

A Bola have shared some more details on that front.

It has been claimed that the club that showed interest in Kiwior was Porto, but they were ‘scared’ off by Andrea Berta’s demands of €30 million (£26m) for the defender.

Porto ended up signing Jan Bednarek from Southampton instead for €7.5 million (£6.5m), and that has officially ended their interest in Kiwior.

Arsenal have an easy decision to make with Jakub Kiwior

Berta is right to demand a significant fee for Kiwior – in fact, he should be seeking more.

The Pole is a much better defender than he was when Arsenal signed him for £17 million in 2023. He has played some big games for the Gunners, including in the Champions League against Real Madrid, where he kept Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes quiet over two legs.

Arsenal have been terrible sellers over the years, and it is about time that changes.

Berta should demand a big fee for Kiwior – if that doesn’t attract buyers, Arsenal should just keep the defender, who is a very reliable backup for Gabriel.