Arsenal's move for Antonio Nusa 'likely' as RB Leipzig weigh up £55m transfer

The RB Leipzig winger has continued to catch the eye for club and country since then. Now, with Arsenal's options out wide thinned, the Gunners look ready to test Leipzig's resolve again.

The Football Whispers Index scores every transfer rumour across five weighted factors. Football Whispers Transfer Index Antonio Nusa to Arsenal 71/100 TPI Likely Arsenal have long tracked the Leipzig winger, and injuries to Christos Tzolis and Noni Madueke have sharpened the case, even though both are expected back before the window opens.

The clearest point in its favour is the buying club itself, a Premier League leader with the financial muscle to absorb a fee in the tens of millions without strain. The single most decisive fact is the valuation gap, since Arsenal's opening proposal sits far below what Leipzig are demanding, and that gap, not the player's openness to the move, is what still needs closing.

Financial viability Financial viability 19 / 25 Arsenal are preparing to open with a bid in the £34m to €40m range, while RB Leipzig are holding out for €60m to €65m. Arsenal generated €821.7m in revenue in their 2024-25 accounts, the seventh highest total in world football according to the Deloitte Football Money League.

Nusa is tied to Leipzig until 30 June 2029, giving the German club room to hold out for a higher fee. Arsenal's revenue grew 15 percent in that same Deloitte ranking, with no reported financial restrictions on their January business.

Arsenal's finances make this fee comfortably affordable, even at Leipzig's asking price rather than at their own opening number. The contract picture favours Leipzig more than Arsenal, since Nusa is tied down into 2029 and the German club are under no pressure to sell at a discount.

Growth in Arsenal's commercial revenue gives the club room to negotiate without squad cost concerns shaping the talks. Buying club need Buying club need 17 / 20 Christos Tzolis, signed from Club Brugge for €40m in the summer, is out with a hamstring injury, with a return targeted for late October.

Noni Madueke, who arrived from Chelsea for around £50m, suffered a separate knee injury against Manchester City and is expected back around the November international break, both timelines sitting before the January window opens. Nusa has 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 Bundesliga appearances this season, ahead of Tzolis's return of 1 assist in 5 games for Arsenal so far.

At 21, Nusa fits the age profile Arsenal targeted this summer when they moved on from the 30-year-old Leandro Trossard. Injuries make the timing of this pursuit unusual rather than desperate, since Tzolis and Madueke are both sidelined but both expected to be training again before January's window even opens.