Arsenal have offered Myles Lewis-Skelly to Manchester United as a potential left-back solution. This comes as Arsenal aims to recover some of the £75m paid for Bruno Guimarães. Chelsea has also been informed of the 19-year-old’s availability, though it is not clear if the west London club will pursue a move.
Lewis-Skelly, who signed a five-year contract last summer, made five league starts and 36 appearances across all competitions in the 2025-26 season. His potential transfer fee is estimated to be around £45m. This figure falls within the financial range Manchester United has spent this summer, following the £35m acquisition of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos’s arrival for £48m plus £2m in add-ons from Chelsea. United are currently considering a move for the teenager.
Interest from Premier League Clubs
Newcastle’s Lewis Hall remains a primary target for Manchester United. However, after the departures of Guimarães, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Newcastle’s new manager, Matthias Jaissle, is reportedly keen to retain the 21-year-old England international. RB Leipzig’s 28-year-old left-back David Raum is another player United might evaluate for the position.
Chelsea has been active in the transfer market this summer, spending over £300m on new signings. These include Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra, brought in to strengthen the centre and right of the defence, respectively. Morgan Rogers also became the club’s record signing at a cost of £117m. Chelsea were linked with Lewis-Skelly in January and have a long-term interest in the midfielder.
Despite their spending, Xabi Alonso’s side has a gap on the left side of their defence after Marc Cucurella’s £52m transfer to Real Madrid. Jorrel Hato, a 20-year-old who played for the Netherlands at the World Cup, served as Cucurella’s deputy at left-back.
Arsenal, however, is reportedly reluctant to sell Lewis-Skelly to a local rival or a team they might compete with for top league positions this season. Manchester United also has a long-standing interest in Lewis-Skelly but is still deciding whether to commit to signing another midfielder or a left-back before the transfer deadline. It is uncertain if United would be able to make other significant deals if they pursue Lewis-Skelly, especially given the high prices for central-midfield players this summer.
Lewis-Skelly’s Role and Future at Arsenal
Lewis-Skelly’s ability to play both in midfield and at left-back makes him a versatile option. He played 180 minutes in defence when Arsenal defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2025. Despite posing with the Premier League title in May, Lewis-Skelly had a challenging campaign, making only one Premier League start before Christmas and three by early May.
His future at Arsenal has been questioned, particularly after the £75m signing of Bruno Guimarães. Arsenal’s two most expensive players are now Guimarães and Declan Rice. With Rice, Guimarães, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino all vying for two midfield positions, decisions may need to be made.
Lewis-Skelly’s sale, as an academy graduate, would represent ‘pure profit’ for the club. However, there are reasons for Arsenal to keep him, especially considering the amount of minutes key midfielder Declan Rice has played. Rice, a 27-year-old, featured in all but two Premier League, Champions League, and Carabao Cup games between January 1 and the end of the season. England manager Thomas Tuchel noted that Rice was in “a lot of pain” by the time of the World Cup, where he was substituted regularly, a rare occurrence in an Arsenal shirt.
The heavy workload on Rice suggests Arsenal may need to rotate him more often, which could open up opportunities for Lewis-Skelly. However, Arsenal also has Zubimendi and Merino as rotation options for Rice. With Arsenal needing to address other areas and improve their player sales record, Lewis-Skelly’s future presents a complex situation. Arsenal’s record transfer sale remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £35m move to Liverpool in 2017. Manager Mikel Arteta has indicated that important decisions will be necessary this summer to elevate the team’s performance.
Team News and Upcoming Fixtures
In other news, Mason Mount missed training on Monday and Tuesday at United’s County Kildare summer training camp due to a foot knock received during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg. The 27-year-old midfielder’s absence is understood to be a precautionary measure, and he is expected to miss Wednesday’s penultimate pre-season friendly against Leeds at Croke Park, a sold-out event.
United’s final friendly before Michael Carrick’s team begins the season on Saturday week at Hull is against Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday.
Source: theguardian.com