Some doors close. Others creak open.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Dean Huijsen ended with a Madrid-bound train they could not catch. The 19-year-old chose his dream over their promise, leaving Mikel Arteta to scan the horizon for another solution. The answer may lie in a familiar face—Aymeric Laporte.
Once a rock at Manchester City, Laporte traded the Premier League for Al-Nassr in 2023. Two years later, Arsenal have knocked on his door according to Spanish publication AS.
Al-Nassr are willing to sell if they can reclaim part of the £23 million they paid. The challenge is his salary—an eye-watering £409,000 a week, a figure that would need to be halved, perhaps more, to make a return possible.
Laporte is left-footed, calm under pressure, and forged in the heat of England’s top flight—121 appearances with City, many under Arteta’s watch as assistant manager. That connection could prove decisive.
For the Gunners, depth and quality in central defense remain priorities, especially with the demands of another title chase looming.
The Spaniard’s timing matters. With the World Cup next summer, he cannot afford the comfort of a slower league if he wants to be indispensable for La Roja.
The lure of the Premier League’s intensity, and a reunion with a manager who knows his game, could be enough to tempt him.
For Arsenal, it’s a move born of necessity and opportunity—a marriage of urgency and experience.
The offer will have to be right. The decision, for Laporte, is whether ambition outweighs fortune.