Arsenal are closely monitoring Nathaniel Brown after Bayern Munich reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the Eintracht Frankfurt defender on a five-year contract.
Positive talks between Brown and Vincent Kompany have accelerated the situation, with the 22-year-old seemingly destined for a move to a bigger club this summer.
football.london understands Arsenal are genuinely interested in Brown and keeping close tabs on how negotiations between Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt develop in the coming weeks.
Brown has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting full-backs over two seasons since signing from second-division side Nuremberg, earning senior international recognition along the way.
The versatile defender will represent Germany at this summer’s World Cup, just a year after appearing for the nation at the European Under-21 Championship.
Sky in Germany report that Bayern are already in direct contact with Eintracht Frankfurt, whose sporting director Markus Kroesche is demanding as much as £52million for the player.
Kroesche has made his valuation of Brown abundantly clear, stating earlier this year: “For me, he is already one of the best full-backs in Europe.”
When asked by BILD whether Brown could command a fee comparable to the £62million Chelsea paid for Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion, Kroesche responded definitively in the affirmative.
Kroesche said: “Yes because he has three exceptional qualities you can’t teach: he’s smart and tactically intelligent, has great technique, and he’s very fast.”
He added: “He’s made outstanding progress, especially when it comes to defending at a high level. Just look at how he performs against top opponents in the Champions League.”
Despite Brown’s desire to join the German champions immediately, there remains an acknowledgement that the deal could stall over his transfer fee, given Kroesche’s firm stance.
Arsenal’s interest in the left-sided, right-footed defender stems from a desire to add greater versatility to Mikel Arteta’s backline ahead of next season.
With Myles Lewis-Skelly potentially shifting into midfield on a more permanent basis, Arteta’s defensive options could become stretched without adequate reinforcement.
Brown has demonstrated the ability to operate in both full-back positions, switching to the right on two occasions last season for Eintracht Frankfurt.
That versatility echoes what Cedric Soares and Takehiro Tomiyasu previously offered Arteta, though Brown brings considerably more attacking threat to the position.
Piero Hincapie, set to sign permanently this summer, and Riccardo Calafiori currently represent the primary left-sided options, but both are capable of playing a more central defensive role.
Brown’s arrival could allow either Calafiori or Hincapie to cover for Gabriel Magalhaes as the left-sided central defender, helping to manage the fitness of the Brazil international.
Across 59 appearances in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt, Brown has scored seven goals and contributed ten assists, underscoring his significant output from defensive positions.
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