Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior joins Porto in £14m permanent transfer
FC Porto have confirmed the permanent £14m signing of defender Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal following a highly successful season-long loan spell.
The Portuguese club triggered their purchase option for the Poland international, agreeing a deal that could eventually rise to £19m with performance-related add-ons.
The defender has committed his long-term future to the Estadio do Dragao by signing a contract valid until June 2030.
A staggering £60m release clause has been inserted into the centre-back’s new four-year agreement.
Search for regular football
The Polish star spent the recent campaign in Portugal after finding his path to the Emirates Stadium first team heavily blocked.
A formidable central defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba severely limited starting opportunities in north London.
However, the player revealed to Polish broadcaster TVP Sport that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta was initially reluctant to sanction his departure.
“Arsenal didn’t want to let me leave London and didn’t agree to a transfer for a long time.”
“Arteta didn’t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted.”
Persuading the Arsenal manager
The versatile defender explained that he had to personally convince his head coach to approve the initial loan switch.
“I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything.”
“He understood my ambitions and my desire to play, and he thanked me for how I behaved as both a person and a player.”
The temporary move proved incredibly fruitful as the loanee helped his new club secure the Primeira Liga title.
Gunners look to the future
The permanent departure represents the first significant outgoing business for the Premier League side this summer.
Arsenal are expected to be highly active in the upcoming transfer window as they seek to remodel their squad.
Securing a central reinforcement remains a priority to reduce the workload on Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi next season.
An official club statement confirmed that the London side will also retain a fixed €2m (£1.7m) fee from any future sale of the defender.