Arsenal transfer news: Bayern rule out move for 'unhappy' defender

After shining during the Gunners' Premier League title charge in 2022-23 as Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko lost his status as an unchallenged starter last season.

The former Manchester City man did start 20 Premier League games for the Gunners, but he was often overlooked for the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior in the latter stages of the campaign.

Furthermore, Zinchenko only made the starting lineup in three of Arsenal's Champions League matches, and he is set to fall further down the pecking order in 2024-25, when Jurrien Timber will stake his claim for regular minutes.

Arsenal have shown no intention of extending Zinchenko's contract beyond the summer of 2026, and it has been alleged that the 27-year-old is unhappy in North London and could therefore be let go in the coming weeks.

Bayern 'prioritise Serie A left-back' over Zinchenko

Amid such suggestions, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany - a former teammate of Zinchenko's at Man City - is said to have earmarked the Arsenal man as an ideal reinforcement should Alphonso Davies fail to agree a new contract.

The Canadian could become a free agent in the summer of 2025 and has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, although Los Blancos could wait until next year to try to sign him on a free.

Nevertheless, journalist Florian Plettenberg claims that Zinchenko is not on Bayern's shortlist for a summer transfer, and those close to the player have also poured cold water on his chances of moving to Munich.

Plettenberg adds that Bayern have not given up hope of extending Davies's contract beyond the end of next season, although his wage demands have prevented an agreement from being struck up until now.

Even if talks do not yield a positive solution, Bayern have supposedly put AC Milan's Theo Hernandez at the top of their list of replacements, meaning that Zinchenko is poised to remain in North London.

Does Zinchenko still have a future at Arsenal?

As Arteta looked to move away from the days of the overlapping Kieran Tierney, whose injury problems have partially been to blame for his downward spiral, the signing of Zinchenko made perfect sense at the time.

A player who Arteta knew extremely well from their time at the Etihad, there was also hope that the Ukrainian could have reinforced an ailing midfield, especially given his exploits in a central area for his national team.

The Arsenal boss opted against going down that route, but Zinchenko's early exploits as an inverted left-back were exceptional, and few in the Arsenal team are better when it comes to breaking the lines.

However, defensive deficiencies have reared their ugly heads for Zinchenko in recent times, as the 27-year-old has often been caught out and criticised for a lack of awareness, which has no doubt played a part in his demotion to a bench role.

As a result, Zinchenko may have to seek an exit if he wishes to be a first-choice left-back again, but he would undoubtedly remain a useful squad option for Arteta should he decide to stay.