Fenerbahçe have officially submitted a €10 million bid to Arsenal for Oleksandr Zinchenko as part of a high-stakes summer rebuild, acting at the explicit request of head coach José Mourinho, who views the 28-year-old Ukrainian as key to his tactical setup, particularly in a holding midfield role, according to Just Arsenal Sources.
The bid and intent come amid mounting speculation about Zinchenko’s future. At the start of the window, West Ham United reportedly entered the picture, targeting Zinchenko after learning of Arsenal’s openness to letting him go.
Tides Turning at the Emirates
This move follows a dramatic shift in Arsenal’s position. Earlier in the summer, Mikel Arteta engaged in discussions that led to a U-turn, effectively retaining both Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard, despite earlier exit rumours.
Negotiations and Leverage
In direct talks between Fenerbahçe’s sporting director, Devin Özek, and Arsenal’s Andrea Berta in London, a fee approaching €15 million was discussed. While Arsenal initially hold firm, they are reportedly open to negotiation if Zinchenko and Fenerbahçe can agree on personal terms, as the player’s contract runs until June 2026, giving the Turkish side some leverage.
To sweeten the deal, Fenerbahçe plans to propose a long-term contract with performance-based bonuses, a structure designed to appeal to all parties involved.
Broader Interest & Tactical Fit
Fenerbahçe are not alone in the race. Zinchenko has reportedly drawn attention from clubs across the Premier League, Serie A, and Bundesliga, though Mourinho’s direct involvement and the swift Turkish approach have tilted the balance.
Zinchenko is expected to play a pivotal role in Mourinho’s tactical setup. His versatility, capable of contributing both defensively and offensively, makes him a valuable asset for Fenerbahçe’s ambitions this season.
What are your thoughts Gooners? Could Zinchenko be on the move?
Sam P
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I hope Zinchenko moves on for his future career. He probably realises this lies elsewhere and I wish him well when that happens.
A neat piece of “doublespeak” in the article:
“While Arsenal initially hold firm, they are reportedly open to negotiation if Zinchenko and Fenerbahçe can agree on personal terms” – which presumably means they won’t hold firm if personal terms are agreed.
Yes his future lies elsewhere, but surely we can get more than that for him, surely!
I would think he would be worth around 18-20mil pounds…
That figure seems right to me also
Mourinho wants him as a no 6 which I always thought his best position and not an inverted LB … shame he didn’t get the.chance to play there more often for us
Best of luck to.him
He’s got 1 year left on his contract I think. €10/15m seems about right. Add in £200k a week saving on his wages snatch their hand off.
Really, Merino got a year left on his contract and yet we paid €40m to acquire him.
Why is it our fans talking about amortisation and money saved from players wages when we want to sell them. Fans of Clubs that will buy players from don’t reason and talked the way we do
If we could pay £13m for a player with less than 6 months on his contract why can Fenerbache pay €30m for him. He is in his prime, 26 years I think and can perform better than Merino if he plays centrally
Really, Merino got a year left on his contract and yet we paid €40m to acquire him.
Why is it our fans talking about amortisation and money saved from players wages when we want to sell them. Fans of Clubs that will buy players from don’t reason and talked the way we do.
If we could pay £13m for a player with less than 6 months on his contract why can Fenerbache pay €30m for him. He is in his prime, 26 years I think and can perform better than Merino if he plays centrally.
AFC are not going to
get anything near
£15-20M for AZ
considering the age
of the player, the
contractual status &
the ridiculous wages
he’s currently on. This
transfer is more about
reducing the wage
bill than bringing in
a sizeable transfer fee.
He was bought for £30m so going along with amortisation, apparently anything over £7.5m is profit.
Possibly good news then because €10m is approx. £8.7m.
Given the ambiguous wording in the article, Arsenal may – despite “holding firm” – accept something around Fenerbahçe’s offer if the payer can agree personal terms.
I doubt we’ll get the kind of money mentioned in some other posts. He only needs to hang around until January 2026 when he can negotiate his own terms with Fenerbahçe and leave in Summer 2026 to Turkey for nothing.
*the player