Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko offered La Liga escape route as Spanish giants join Borussia Dortmund in transfer race?

The Ukraine international appears to be heading towards the exit door after struggling to gain regular game time this season.

Zinchenko has been restricted to just four starts in 13 competitive appearances due to a combination of selection decisions and injury issues.

The 28-year-old appears to have fallen behind Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly in the battle for Arsenal's left-back spot.

Atletico enter Zinchenko race

Dortmund have recently been linked with a potential move for the full-back, with the German side keen to strengthen the left side of their defence.

They were initially looking to sign Chelsea defender Renato Veiga, but he now looks set to join Juventus on loan for the remainder of the season.

However, Dortmund are now facing competition for Zinchenko's services, with Florian Plettenburg reporting that Atletico are in talks over a potential move to add the Ukrainian to Diego Simeone's side.

Atleti are hoping to reach an agreement for a permanent transfer or a loan move with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

Arsenal are said to value Zinchenko at around £20m plus add-ons, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2026.

However, it seems as though the potential finances involved are putting off Dortmund, who are also keen to sign a player who can operate as a centre-back.

Nevertheless, the update states that Dortmund remain in the race for Zinchenko even if their interest appears to be waning.

Why are Atletico keen to sign Zinchenko?

Simeone can currently call upon Javi Galan and Reinildo Mandava as his main options to play on the left side of defence.

However, Reinildo has fallen out of favour at the Metropolitano, having failed to feature in any of Atletico's last five league matches.

The Mozambique international also faces an uncertain future, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Galan has ultimately established himself as Simeone's first-choice left-back, but he is now set to miss up to a month of action after he sustained an ankle injury in Tuesday's Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.

As a result, there is an opportunity for Zinchenko to force his way straight into the Atletico lineup if an agreement is reached between the two clubs in the near future.

Zinchenko will likely be keen to join a side that are currently competing on three fronts across La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

Written by

Ben Sully