Arsenal Transfers: Bayern Munich targeting move for Takehiro Tomiyasu

Arsenal may have a fight on their hands to keep Takehiro Tomiyasu in 2024 because Bayern Munich are already ‘pushing’ to sign the Japanese international.

While Tomiyasu has battled multiple injuries since joining the club in 2021, he looks to have re-established himself as a critical member of Mikel Arteta’s squad after the emergence of Ben White as a right-back and arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko pushed him down the full-back pecking order last season.

With Arteta seemingly opting for greater defensive stability in 2023/24, Tomiyasu, an excellent defender, has returned to prominence.

Bayern Munich targeting move for Takehiro Tomiyasu next year

The defender, who’s currently away on international duty, has made 16 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners this term after having his 2022/23 campaign cut short due to a knee injury.

His sturdy, versatile profile is one that Mikel Arteta values highly, and Arsenal are said to have rebuffed an approach from Inter in the summer in order to keep the 25-year-old. Tomiyasu had previously excelled in Serie A with Bologna.

However, the Gunners may have a tougher fight on their hands next year with Bayern keen on acquiring the Japanese international.

According to Florian Plettenberg, Die Roten would love to sign Tomiyasu in January, but they know that adding them to their squad midway through the campaign would be almost impossible given that Arsenal have little interest in depleting their squad. However, Plettenberg adds that Bayern, who want to sign Tomiyasu due to his ability to play across the defence, will continue to monitor the player’s situation.

This might be one we come back to next summer.

Arsenal have nothing to be concerned about on the contract front with Tomiyasu’s deal expiring in 2025. While plenty can change between now and the summer, the Gunners would be foolish to let a player of Tomi’s calibre depart, even if they did sign Jurrien Timber ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.