Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing a La Liga midfielder with a \u00a317.5million release clause and are \u2018closely monitoring\u2019 his progress.<\/p>\n
The Gunners spent big in the summer transfer window as Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Ebere Eze joined as Mikel Arteta\u2019s marquee signings.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been money well spent so far as Arsenal sit top of the Premier League<\/a>, six points above Chelsea in second, after 12 games.<\/p>\n Arsenal top of the Premier League: F365 Tables<\/p>\n Arsenal<\/a> are unlikely to make further additions in the winter transfer window, but if the right market opportunity arises, Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta will look to take advantage.<\/p>\n One potential market opportunity is Elche and Spain Under-21 midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza.<\/p>\n According to The Telegraph<\/a>, Arsenal are \u2018closely monitoring\u2019 the 20-year-old and are considering making a move for him in January.<\/p>\n There is \u2018intense competition\u2019 for Mendoza\u2019s signature, with \u2018some of the biggest teams in Spain and Italy\u2019 also interested.<\/p>\n Mendoza has a release clause worth\u00a0\u20ac20m (\u00a317.5m), which would be a record sale for Elche if triggered.<\/p>\n Among those keen are Real Madrid, who are \u2018long-term admirers\u2019 of the player likened to Barcelona and Spain playmaker Pedri.<\/p>\n MORE ON ARSENAL ON F365 However, it\u2019s believed that Mendoza is \u2018more likely to leave next summer than in the January transfer window\u2019.<\/p>\n A winter move \u2018cannot be ruled out\u2019 and if his release clause is triggered, there won\u2019t be much Elche can do to stop him leaving.<\/p>\n Arsenal have a good ol\u2019 secret weapon in Cristhian Mosquera, who is Mendoza\u2019s team-mate for the Spanish Under-21 side.<\/p>\n Whether or not they are pals and if Mosquera will have a word in his ear is very much unclear, but it\u2019s a nice and easy scenario to create in your head.<\/p>\n Mendoza\u2019s underwhelming numbers don\u2019t matter<\/p>\n Mendoza\u2019s numbers are very underwhelming. In key metrics like key passes, he only has eight in La Liga this season, ranking him joint 99th in the division.<\/p>\n The most important statistic for Mendoza right now is minutes played. When compared to the rest of La Liga, he doesn\u2019t rank too convincingly in key metrics, though his take-on numbers are impressive, completing 11 of his 21 attempted. His 52.4 success percentage beats Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Nico Williams.<\/p>\n He\u2019s getting some priceless experience this season. In 2025\/26, Mendoza has played nine times in La Liga, starting on five occasions.<\/p>\n That level of trust in a 20-year-old midfielder tells us as much as 30 key passes and 50 take-ons won, for example.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49\u00a0Arsenal summer signing made mistake as transfer \u2018didn\u2019t make any sense\u2019 \u2013 \u2018he\u2019s never going to play\u2019<\/a>
\ud83d\udc49\u00a0Big Midweek: Arsenal v Bayern, Mo Salah, Thomas Frank, Chelsea, Championship title clash<\/a>
\ud83d\udc49\u00a016 Conclusions on Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: Eze, Rice, Frank and the Premier League title<\/a><\/p>\n