Arsenal are interested in signing Lille striker Matias Fernandez-Pardo, although the French club are reluctant to sanction the player’s departure this summer, according to L’Equipe.
Fernandez-Pardo enjoyed an excellent breakout season in 2025/26, netting eight goals and providing six assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. This return has been enough to prompt interest from several top clubs across Europe, including the Gunners, Chelsea, Liverpool and Atlético Madrid.
Manchester United are also said to be in the mix, with the Red Devils supposedly working on a deal for the 21-year-old.
However, despite the player recently sourcing a new agent to manage the next step in his career, Lille’s president has publicly revealed that he plans to remain staunch in his stance that the Belgian isn’t for sale.
Arsenal Interested in Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Arsenal’s priority this summer is to sign a dynamic left-winger to complement Bukayo Saka on the right. Hence, the Gunners are being heavily linked with a move for Vinicius Junior, among others.
However, sporting director Andrea Berta is reportedly keen on also bringing a new centre-forward to the Emirates in this window. The potential acquisition wouldn’t necessarily be an immediate upgrade on either Kai Havertz or Viktor Gyokeres, but would potentially succeed both players in a few years, as the pair of strikers come into their late 20s.
Junior Kroupi has been linked for this role, although the Bournemouth star may prove to be too expensive. Instead, L’Equipe report that Fernandez-Pardo is on Berta’s radar.
The Belgium international has established himself as Lille’s first-choice striker since Hamza Igamane suffered a serious knee injury during AFCON in January.
Igamane isn’t expected back before October, and thus, Lille aren’t keen on allowing a player they’re reliant on in Fernandez-Pardo to leave this summer.
The club’s president, Olivier Letang, has spoken to the youngster’s new agent and informed him that his client’s exit won’t be sanctioned.
“The player is under contract until 2029, and his departure is not an issue,” Letang told L’Equipe.
“We are counting on him; he knows that, and we have been very clear with him. He never had a release clause. Every player I told could leave has left. It’s the same old story as last summer, with yet another new agent.”
Fernandez-Pardo is regarded as one of the fastest players in Europe with his Belgian teammates claiming he has reached speeds of 39km/h in sprint tests, although the player himself claimed it was 38.5km/h.
Still, that is quicker that Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, who is the official recorded fastest Premier League player, hitting speeds of 37.38km/h.
Arsenal Must Focus on Left Winger Pursuit
If Arsenal have learned anything in recent seasons, it’s that they need to be three players deep in every position to deal with the inevitable spate of injuries they’re likely to sustain due to the congested fixture schedule.
For this reason, adding another striker option to complement Havertz and Gyokeres seems reasonable. However, left wing ought to be their priority.
The Gunners are strong across the board, but there is an obvious void of quality on the left-hand side of their attack. They need to ensure they find a top-tier talent to fill this void, and this may mean they cannot allocate resources to the centre-forward position.
Ultimately, if needed, they can keep Gabriel Jesus, or they can use Mikel Merino as the third-choice striker, with the Spaniard proving that he’s up to the task in this position.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
