Oleksandr Zinchenko a Top Target for Newcastle & Bayern Munich

Oleksandr Zinchenko, Bayern Munich, Newcastle United

According to the latest reports, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United are preparing moves to sign Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer. The Ukrainian has had a mixed 2023-24 season so far, suffering with injuries and inconsistency and his future could be up in the air.

Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Manchester City from second-tier Russian side FK Ufa in 2016. The Cityzens loaned out their new acquisition to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven the same season. He was rotated between PSV and their youth outfit Jong PSV throughout the 2016-17 campaign.

Then a midfielder, the 27-year-old had to compete with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Fernandinho for a spot in the starting XI. Instead, Pep Guardiola decided to use him as a left-back and played him in 128 games for the Cityzens.

Now, the Ukraine international has permanently shifted to being a left-back. He moved to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2022 for a fee of around £32 million. The defender has already made 62 appearances for the North Londoners across all competitions in one-and-a-half seasons.

As reported by FootballTransfers, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich are keen on signing Oleksandr Zinchenko and are already planning a move in the upcoming summer transfer window. The report claims the Gunners have set a €45 million asking price for the left-back’s services.

The Bundesliga giants are likely to see Alphonso Davies leave the club to join Real Madrid in the summer. This has made Bayern enter the market for his replacement and they have found their target in Zinchenko. The German club are tracking the Ukrainian closely and it looks like they don’t want to miss out on the defender.

🚨 Oleksandr Zinchenko is a target for Newcastle and Bayern Munich, with Arsenal wanting £33m for the 27-year-old.

(Source: Football Transfers) pic.twitter.com/WJi6LrpPqp

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 8, 2024

On the other hand, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe seeks to strengthen his defensive lineup, especially on the left-flank. Dan Burn, who is a centre-back, is filling in as the left-back and has been quite unsurprisingly unconvincing. Lewis Hall, on loan from Chelsea, is young and inexperienced and hasn’t got enough first-team action in the Premier League while Matt Targett is not much preferred by the English manager.

Zinchenko Situation At The Emirates

Zinchenko is very impressive defensively and offensively, and on many occasions, has chipped in for the Gunners with a goal or assist. He was a crucial part of the Arsenal team that made a push for the Premier League title last campaign, but eventually finishing second.

However, the 2023-24 season hasn’t been good for the defender. The Ukrainian is dealing with a dry spell suffering from poor form while also nursing a calf injury which kept him out of action for a while before making a return this month.

Meanwhile, Jakob Kiwior has been utilized as the left-back in the 27-year-old’s injury absence. Kiwior has been coming up with solid and consistent performances and it has made him a major defensive cog in Mikel Arteta’s squad. This has aggravated the rumours even more.

Although having returned from the sidelines, Zinchenko will find it difficult to displace the Poland international from the starting XI. On the other hand, the Football Insider has reported that Mikel Arteta views the Ukrainian as a key man in his squad and has no intention to sell him.

Nonetheless, uncertainty looms on the 27-year-old’s future at the Emirates. Time will tell whether Arsenal will accept offers from Bayern Munich, Newcastle United or any other club or whether Oleksandr Zinchenko will keep being an important player for the Spanish manager.

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