Erik ten Hag to BEAT Arsenal to €60m star

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Jun 2025 16:32 BST
• 4 min read

News

Bayer Leverkusen are leading Arsenal in the race to sign Porto full-back Martim Fernandes, according to Portuguese media.

The 19-year-old is coming off a breakout season in Portugal, making 37 appearances across all competitions and winning plaudits due to his attacking contributions. Although he did not manage to get on the scoresheet himself, he provided a respectable six assists from right-back.

This has seen Fernandes appear on the radar of bigger European sides, with the youngster also catching the eye at the Club World Cup, which ultimately ended in embarrassment for Porto. They were eliminated overnight after failing to beat Palmeiras, Inter Miami and Al Ahly.

Current ETV

Martim Fernandes

D (R)

Porto

Martim Fernandes

D (R)

Porto

€16.6M

ETV Range

€14.9M - €18.3M

View full profile

According to Correio de Manha, Arsenal in particular have been keeping tabs on Fernandes' development, a task made easier by the fact that Gunners midfielder Fabio Vieira spent the season on loan at Porto.

Arsenal have also been keeping an eye on Portuguese football due to their interest in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres. In addition to the North London outfit, Man City and Napoli are also credited with an interest in Fernandes.

Leverkusen to sign Fernandes?

However, it seems that the side currently best-placed to sign Fernandes are actually Bayer Leverkusen, now managed by former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag.

The German side are in the midst of a major rebuild and are targeting high-potential youngsters. Thanks to the Bundesliga-record €136 million sale of Florian Wirtz, they have money to spend and are putting it to good use, with Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah set to join in a €30m-€40m deal.

According to the above-mentioned report, Leverkusen have been 'intensifying their observations' of Fernandes following the sale of Jeremie Frimpong. Despite being in pole position for the 19-year-old, it is unclear if a deal is possible.

It is claimed that Porto president Andre Villa-Boas will only do business for a fee in the region of Fernandes' €60m release clause, which is a figure that Leverkusen are simply not going to match.

Leverkusen bosses Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes are shrewd negotiators and will be confident that they can push Fernandes' price down with some concessions. They managed to get a deal for Quansah by offering Liverpool a buy-back clause, for example.

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