Arsenal to battle Chelsea to sign £25 million-rated winger in summer: Reports

Arsenal are reportedly set to face stiff competition from city rivals Chelsea in the race to sign River Plate winger Ian Subiabre in the future.

Subiabre, 18, has lately emerged as one of the most exciting Argentine prospects. He bagged seven goals and eight assists in 30 total appearances for River Plate II before popping up as a senior team player for his side.

Now, according to Caught Offside, both Arsenal and Chelsea are keeping tabs on Subiabre's development at River Plate. Both the English clubs have held talks with the winger's camp but have yet to table a formal offer.

Subiabre, whose current contract will expire in December 2026, has a release clause of close to £25 million. The left-footed player has also attracted attention from Aston Villa, West Ham United, Benfica, and Villarreal.

So far, Subiabre has made five substitute appearances for River Plate.

Arsenal urged to add ex-Chelsea star to ranks

During a recent interaction on DR Sports, former Arsenal attacker Theo Walcott asserted that his former club should try to rope in ex-Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. He opined (h/t Metro):

"[Newcastle United star Alexander] Isak is the one everyone wants. But if you're going to hold a gun to my head and [ask for] two more names, I'd probably say someone like [Bryan] Mbeumo at Brentford for a bit of cover for [Bukayo] Saka. Having a bit of pressure on your position is always good too."

Walcott, who represented the Gunners between 2006 and 2018, added:

"I would maybe test the waters with another forward on the left-wing because it's all about scoring goals for Arsenal. They don't really concede goals these days. I know it's really out of the box but I would look at someone like Hudson-Odoi, who plays off the left. You probably didn't expect me to say [his name] but you caught me off guard."

Hudson-Odoi, 24, has cemented himself as a vital starter for Nottingham Forest since leaving Chelsea in a potential £5 million deal in the summer of 2023. He has helped his team emerge as a contender for a top four spot in the Premier League this season due to his good outings.

The Chelsea academy product has started 40 of his 52 Premier League appearances for the Tricky Trees so far. He has netted 12 goals and provided three assists in 3,597 minutes of first-team action for his current club.