Arsenal and Chelsea offered 'enormous' talent but hidden £44m cost puts deal in jeopardy

Arsenal and Chelsea are among a host of top clubs to be offered an intriguing free transfer opportunity.

Posted Sunday, January 08, 2023 by Express.co.uk

Arsenal, Chelsea and a range of other top sides from around Europe have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka. The 23-year-old, who is hailed as one of the best defensive talents in Germany, is soon to be out of contract but his agents are making life difficult for interested parties with extortionate demands.

Ndicka has played a remarkable amount of senior football for his age, particularly as a centre-back. The towering 6ft 4in youngster came through the ranks at Auxerre before heading across the border and signing for Frankfurt in 2018.

He instantly became a first-team hit and is now into his fifth season as a regular, racking up over 150 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit. Despite making eye-catching progress with Frankfurt, which has prompted trusted observers to label him an 'enormous' talent, his contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

With a free transfer opportunity in the works and Ndicka's camp able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs, his services have reportedly been offered around Europe.

Evan Ndicka will be out of contract with Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the season

According to Frankfurter Rundschau the list of suitors includes Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among others. However, the behaviour of Ndicka's agents has supposedly been 'categorically rejected' by some clubs with hefty demands placed on the table.

Although the move could technically go through as a free in the summer, the true cost of the move would be anything but free, starting with an immediate £13million signing fee paid to the player and a subsequent five-year contract worth just over £6m per season.

All together, that represents a £44m package with Ndicka's representatives supposedly looking to cash in on a player who has garnered significant attention over the past few seasons. Frankfurt are thought to have placed a contract offer of their own on the table but the defender would rather survey his options for now.

Arsenal are fairly well-stocked at centre-back with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes building a formidable partnership and helping Mikel Arteta's team to the top of the Premier League table as we approach the season's halfway point. Strength in depth may be an issue in the long run, however, and Ndicka could blossom into a player that challenges the Gunners' current pecking order.

Chelsea also have plenty of centre-backs to choose from but Wesley Fofana has been blighted by injury since signing from Leicester City last summer, while Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly are both on the wrong side of their 30th birthday.

The Blues have already swooped for a new addition in that department this January by splashing out a reported £35m on Benoit Badiashile. Manager Graham Potter is under pressure to steady the ship after picking up just six points from Chelsea's last eight league games.