Arsenal have added Como centre-back Jacobo Ramón to their list of defensive targets this summer. The move comes as the club scrambles to cover for William Saliba’s back injury, a setback with no surgical fix that will keep him sidelined for an extended period.
Arsenal’s other options are narrowing. Saliba does not require surgery, but his return date remains uncertain. Mikel Arteta had already been shopping for a centre-back before the injury, and that search has now become urgent.
Ramón’s Real Madrid Clauses
Ramón is 21 and a Real Madrid academy product. He made three senior appearances for the club before joining Como last summer in a €2.5m (£2.2m) deal. That fee looks like a bargain now.
He went on to make 32 Serie A appearances for Cesc Fabregas’ side as they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Jacobo Ramon representing Como 1907.
Any deal is structurally awkward. Real Madrid kept a 50 per cent sell-on clause and a buy-back option when they sent him to Como. Arsenal wouldn’t just be negotiating with Como, Madrid sit across the table too, with a financial stake in any fee and the power to reclaim him outright.
That adds real friction. It inflates the effective cost and hands a third party genuine leverage. Whether Arsenal want to work through that before September 1 is still unclear.
Chelsea Step Back
Chelsea had shown interest in Ramón back in June, a connection that made sense given Xabi Alonso coached him in Real Madrid’s youth system. That thread now appears to have frayed. Chelsea are closing in on Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix in a deal worth around £52m, and their focus has shifted.
Chelsea stepping back doesn’t hand Arsenal a clear run. But it removes the most awkward form of competition, a London rival with a personal link to the player through the manager.
Stones And Konsa Also In Play
Ramón is one name on a shortlist, not a confirmed target. Arsenal had discussed a…
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