‘Mikel Arteta likes him very much’ – Agent confirms Arsenal talks to sign £52m striker

Christian Kofane’s agent claims he has held transfer talks with Arsenal and Mikel Arteta likes the Bayer Leverkusen striker ‘very much’.

Kofane is enjoying an eye-catching debut season in the Bundesliga after joining Leverkusen from Albacete for a small fee last summer.

Although not yet a nailed-on starter under Kasper Hjulmand, the 19-year-old has made a significant impact at Leverkusen, registering seven goals and eight assists in his first 37 appearances for the club.

Kofane’s name may already be familiar to some Arsenal supporters after he caught the eye in both legs of Leverkusen’s Champions League last-16 elimination at the hands of the Gunners.

The imposing centre-forward more than held his own against Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba and was perhaps unfortunate not to score in the second meeting, with David Raya producing a stunning save to deny him late on at the Emirates.

Earlier on in the competition, Kofane became Leverkusen’s youngest ever Champions League goalscorer with the opening goal in a 1-1 draw at home to PSV Eindhoven.

Leverkusen’s €5million (£4.4m) deal with Albacete for Kofane now appears an extremely savvy piece of business as the teenager goes from strength to strength with every passing game.

A report from Sky Germany this week claimed Arsenal and Real Madrid had both been monitoring Kofane, with Leverkusen tempted to sell should they receive an offer of between €60-70million (£52m-61m).

‘Yes, Arsenal’s interest is genuine,’ Kofane’s agent Eric Depolo told Daily Arsenal in response to the rumours.

‘The manager [Mikel Arteta] likes him very much.’

Asked which other clubs had expressed an interest in Kofane, Depolo replied: ‘Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton, Brentford, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.’

Depolo suggested the presence of both Arteta and Saliba in north London put Arsenal in ‘pole position’ to strike a deal for the Cameroon international.

‘I think it is too early to say [which club is leading the race],’ he explained.

‘But due to the fact that the player speaks Spanish, like Mikel Arteta, and that William Saliba is originally from Cameroon, I would say Arsenal are in pole position.

‘There is contact between me and Arsenal. But their focus right now is to win the league – from there everything will start moving.’

Kofane’s current contract, which he signed upon arrival at Leverkusen, runs through to the summer 2026.

Leverkusen chiefs Simon Rolfes and Kim Falkenberg are said to be relaxed about the growing interest in Kofane and are believed to be in regular communication with the attacker’s camp.

Kofane’s agent reassured Arsenal they would be getting a ‘complete’ striker for the next decade should they secure a deal for his client.

‘He is a €100m (£87.3m) player. With Kofane, Arsenal will have a top striker for the next ten years,’ Depolo continued.

‘I have never had as many calls in my life as now regarding Kofane. Right now, he is the best Under-21 striker in Europe and the most complete one.

‘He has speed, technique, defends very well and is strong in the air. It is very difficult to find all these attributes in one striker.’

Depolo confirmed that Barcelona had also held discussions for the 6 ft 2 in forward.

Leverkusen head coach Hjulmand has been waxing lyrical about Kofane in the German media, tipping the the youngster for a ‘great future’ due to his ‘personality’ on matchdays and on the training ground.

‘For me, it’s impressive enough that Kofi came to Europe at the end of 2024 and moved here in the summer of 2025 – and how he has developed since then,’ Hjulmand recently said of Kofane.

‘The way he works, how he adapts and learns… I criticised him a bit in training a few weeks ago and then the next day he came to me and said, “Please, keep it up. I want more criticism, I want to learn,” and that’s why he’s making these strides.

‘I always tell players, “Stay true to yourself in this crazy world, sometimes you might lose touch with reality”, but if you stay true to yourself, everything will be alright.’

‘He has a great future.

‘I know Christian will stay on this path, with this personality – and then he will certainly develop even further.’

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