Arsenal are again being linked with Francisco Trincão, but they may face a familiar battle from Manchester.
Could this finally be the right time to make a move?
Francisco Trincão is once again being linked with a move to Arsenal, years after the club first flirted with signing the Portuguese winger, though this time, Manchester City and Manchester United appear to be leading the race.
According to A BOLA, Arsenal are one of several clubs keeping tabs on Trincão, whose recent resurgence for Sporting CP and the Portuguese national team has reignited interest across Europe.
The 25-year-old has registered nine goals and 15 assists in 43 appearances this season and delivered a decisive performance in Portugal’s Nations League win over Denmark, scoring twice after coming off the bench to send Roberto Martínez’s side through.
Trincão is currently valued at €27m and is under contract until June 2026. Sporting are reportedly determined to keep him and are already preparing a new contract offer that would grant him the number 10 shirt and, eventually, the club captaincy.
With a release clause believed to be around €80m and Barcelona still entitled to 50% of any future sale, Sporting have every reason to hold firm, unless a Premier League bidding war materialises.
This isn’t the first time Arsenal have been linked with the former Braga and Barcelona forward. Back in January 2019, Italian reports claimed that the Gunners were plotting to hijack Juventus‘s move for the then-teenaged Trincão as ‘revenge’ for the Serie A club signing Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer. Arsenal, under Unai Emery, actually withdrew their contract offer from Ramsey, allowing him to leave, so there was no ‘revenge’ to be sought.
At the time, CalcioMercatoNews reported that Arsenal scouts had watched Trincão in action for Braga B, where he had impressed with six goals and six assists in 46 appearances since his promotion from the under-17s.
However, the rumours never progressed, and the winger eventually made a high-profile switch to Barcelona in 2020 for €31m.
Now 25 and showing the maturity and consistency expected of him as a teenager, Trincão has become a key figure at Sporting. He leads the club for minutes played this season and has emerged as a critical contributor in their bid for back-to-back league titles.
For Arsenal, Trincão could offer valuable depth, particularly on the right wing where Bukayo Saka has lacked true competition. Mikel Arteta is also expected to target a striker this summer, and while a number of forwards have been linked with the club in recent months, it’s difficult to separate serious interest from speculative noise. That said, Trincão’s blend of creativity and tactical intelligence makes him a credible option, especially if the price remains within reach.
Still, Arsenal’s path to a deal may not be straightforward. Both Manchester clubs are tracking the winger closely, and with Rúben Amorim and Hugo Viana, key figures behind Trincão’s development at Sporting, now working at United and City respectively, a summer move to England could be on the cards, just not necessarily to north London.
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