Arsenal are reportedly ‘leading’ the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion star Jack Hinshelwood, as per Caught Offside.
After coming through the Seagulls’ youth system, the 20-year-old made his first team debut in 2023 before establishing himself as a key starter in recent seasons.
The youngster helped his boyhood club finish in the top half of the Premier League table last term. However, Fabian Hurzeler’s side have been displaying inconsistent performances this season, languishing in the bottom half of the league.
Now, Caught Offside claim that Hinshelwood has started attracting a lot of attention, having displayed glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League.
Chelsea and Liverpool are keen on him as a potential long-term option to reinforce the midfield department. However, Arsenal and Manchester City are currently ‘leading’ the race to secure his services.
With the player’s existing deal set to run until 2028, Brighton aren’t in any rush to sell him this summer. The Seagulls usually play hardball to sell their big assets and want at least £39m if they are forced to let Hinshelwood leave.
The Englishman is a versatile player as he is a defensive midfielder by trait, but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. Furthermore, he can provide cover in the right-back position if needed.
Hinshelwood to Arsenal
He is technically sound, can play threading passes between the lines, and is efficient in defensive contributions.
Arsenal currently have Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Mikel Merino as options to deploy in the deeper midfield positions. However, Merino has been ruled out for almost the rest of this season due to a serious injury.
On the other hand, Norgaard has struggled to find regular game time since joining from Brentford last summer, failing to start any Premier League game this season.
So, it appears Mikel Arteta is contemplating purchasing a new midfielder in the summer. Hinshelwood is a talented player, and Arteta likes having versatile options like the Brighton star; therefore, he would be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal should they purchase him.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually manage to lure him to the Emirates Stadium in the upcoming summer transfer window.