Arsenal in £60m battle with Man Utd and Man City for Bundesliga star

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Arsenal have reportedly turned their attention to Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza ahead of the January window — and they are not alone in admiring the 20-year-old.

According to Fussball News, Maza has emerged on the Gunners' radar, with Leverkusen already placing a valuation of around €70million (£60million) on the youngster. The Bundesliga club are said to be unwilling to entertain anything below that figure.

Crucially, Leverkusen hold all the cards. Maza is contracted at the BayArena until the summer of 2030, meaning there is no pressure on the German side to sell in January — or even at the end of the current campaign.

A crowded queue

The same report claims Manchester City, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have all joined the race, with each of those clubs monitoring Maza's development and potentially preparing an official approach once the window reopens.

That is notable given how heavily both Manchester clubs invested in central midfield over the summer. City brought in Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliott Anderson and Enzo Fernandez, while United added Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos to Old Trafford's engine room.

It is worth stressing that this is a report from a single outlet rather than one of the established tier-one names, so the usual caution applies at this stage of a January story.

Arsenal's summer business

The Gunners were far from quiet themselves in the last window as they prepared to defend their title. Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Ezri Konsa and Illan Meslier all arrived at the Emirates Stadium, with Guimaraes in particular adding significant Premier League experience to Mikel Arteta's midfield.

Even so, there was persistent talk that further reinforcements could follow. Arsenal were credited with an interest in a new wide forward during the closing stages of the window, with Vinicius Jr. and Julian Alvarez both mentioned as potential targets before the deadline passed.

Now, with the window shut for several weeks, the focus has shifted to what the club might do in the New Year — and Maza is the latest name to be attached to that plan.

At 20, the midfielder fits the profile Arsenal have leaned towards in recent transfer cycles: young, developing in a competitive European league, and with resale value built in. The £60million price tag, though, reflects exactly how highly Leverkusen rate him and how little incentive they have to negotiate.

Arsenal return to action with the January window still some way off, and any concrete movement on Maza is unlikely before then. For now, the Gunners are one of several clubs watching from a distance while Leverkusen hold firm on their valuation.