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Arsenal battling with PL rivals to sign Aleksey Batrakov

By Ritayan Chatterjee on October 24, 2026

Arsenal are reportedly battling with Premier League rivals over a deal to sign Galatasaray midfielder Aleksey Batrakov, as per TEAMtalk.

After coming through Lokomotiv Moscow’s youth system, the 21-year-old made his first-team debut a couple of years ago. Initially, he featured as a rotational option before establishing himself as an undisputed starter.

During the 2024/25 campaign, the midfielder made 24 goal contributions across all competitions. He continued to showcase his productivity last term, scoring 17 goals and registering 10 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.

After being impressed by him, Galatasaray decided to purchase him this summer. He has enjoyed a bright start in Turkiye, making four goal contributions in all tournaments thus far this term. He even helped Galatasaray beat LOSC Lille 4-2 by scoring a goal in the Champions League in midweek.

Now, TEAMtalk state that Arsenal sent scouts to watch the Russian in action closely on Wednesday, and they have been impressed by him.

Apart from the Gunners, Liverpool also scouted him in midweek, while Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have been keeping a close eye on his development.

The report state that with Batrakov having a contract until 2031, Galatasaray aren’t in any rush to sell him next year. However, he has a £50m release clause in his current deal.

Batrakov to Arsenal

The youngster is a creative midfielder by trait but can provide cover in the left-wing and box-to-box roles. He is technically sound, can create opportunities for the attackers and is efficient in finishing off his chances.

Arsenal currently have Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze as specialist No.10 options. Moreover, Mikel Merino and Max Dowman can provide cover in this area if needed.

However, Eze has been mainly playing as a left-winger this season. Still, Mikel Arteta already has several CAM options, and Arsenal don’t need to invest more money to add further depth to this position.

Therefore, the Emirates club would be better off saving the funds to reinforce other areas of the squad. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually make a concrete approach to secure Batrakov’s services in January or next summer.