Manchester United and Arsenal suffer blow as Bayern Munich enter race for defender with €40 million release clause - Reports

Manchester United and Arsenal have reportedly suffered a major blow in their pursuit of in-form Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong. As reported by Football Transfers, the Dutchman has already agreed to join Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

Frimpong has established himself as one of the most coveted players on the planet with his exploits for Bayer Leverkusen this season, contributing an impressive 11 goals and 11 assists in 33 games across competitions.

The 23-year-old has been one of the key players under Xabi Alonso as they are unbeaten across all competitions and are cruising towards the Bundesliga title. Frimpong has been a revelation under Alonso in the attacking right wing-back role where he has been given the license to burst forward.

As per the aforementioned report, Frimpong could be available for €40 million in the summer and there is no dearth of interest for his signature. Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly keen on the flying full-back but are set to miss out to Bayern Munich.

As relayed by German journalist Christian Falk in his interview with Caught Offside, Frimpong has already agreed to switch to the Allianz Arena.

Frimpong joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 from Celtic and has since become an important player at the BayArena. However, his game improved significantly after Alonso took over.

The Manchester City youth graduate was recently called up by Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands senior side. He made his debut for his country on March 22 in a 4-0 win over Scotland.

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Arsenal and Manchester United target opens up on his future

Red-hot Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyökeres has opened up about his future. The Sweden international has emerged as a target for Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United but has also insisted that he is fully focused on the current season at Sporting.

The 25-year-old said he is fully committed to Ruben Amorim's side and wants to win silverware with the Portuguese giants.

"I don’t think much about it now actually, I want to win the league and the cup with Sporting – that’s where I’m putting all my energy and strength. It’s just speculation, but it’s good and fun to talk about. We’ll see what happens in the summer, I don’t know what will happen. But I really like Sporting, and I don’t feel stressed at all for what’s to come," Gyökeres said.

Gyökeres has been in sensational form for Sporting CP since his €20 million switch from Coventry City in the summer. He has scored 36 goals and produced 14 assists in 39 games across competitions for the Primeira Liga leaders.