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Nathaniel Brown has emerged as one of the top young left-backs in Europe and has been capped by Germany at senior level, with a host of Premier League clubs interested
Arsenal are set to find themselves locked in a four-way summer battle for one of Europe's most sought-after young defenders, it has been claimed. The Gunners, as well as Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid, are believed to be keeping tabs on Germany international Nathaniel Brown - but he won't come cheap.
The 22 year old has cemented his place at left-back for Eintracht Frankfurt, though he can also play further forward, and has caught the attention of national team manager Julian Nagelsmann in the process.
Brown featured for Germany's Under-21s in their European Championship final defeat to England during the summer before earning his maiden senior cap against Luxembourg in October, and was an unused sub against the Luxembourgers for Friday's reverse fixture.
German publication Bild (via Sport Witness ) reports that Frankfurt are anticipating a substantial windfall on a player who arrived from Nurnberg for a little under £3million in 2024.
A fee of €63.5million (around £56m) has been suggested, with Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krosche maintaining the defender commands a similar valuation to what Chelsea paid for Spain's Marc Cucurella.
Whilst discussing Brown alongside fellow Frankfurt prospect Can Uzun, Krosche is quoted as saying: "Yes! Because he has three exceptional abilities that you can't learn. He's smart and tactically astute, has fantastic technique, and is very fast. And all of that is necessary to have a great career ahead of him.
"Now is the wrong time to think about who might leave us and when," he continued. "They're both young and should stay with us a while longer. Can has developed tremendously compared to last year. It's a shame he's injured now.
"And Nene (Brown) is simply exceptional. He's made outstanding progress, especially when it comes to defending at a high level. Just look at how he plays against top opponents in the Champions League."
Frankfurt have generated substantial income from player sales in recent seasons. Omar Marmoush commanded £59m when he departed for Manchester City in January, whilst the summer transfer of Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool could bring in as much as £79m with add-ons included.
Paris Saint-Germain were responsible for a further £120m in fees, with Willian Pacho and Randal Kolo Muani both joining the French club from Frankfurt in recent years.
Following their latest summer overhaul, Dino Toppmoller's squad currently occupy seventh position in the Bundesliga, whilst they've accumulated four points from four Champions League fixtures despite enduring a 5-1 home loss against Liverpool with Ekitike finding the net.
Jonathan Burkardt is among the recent signings to flourish at Deutsche Bank Park as part of the latest rebuild. The German international striker, acquired for approximately £18.5m from Mainz during the summer window, has netted nine times in 15 appearances across all competitions this campaign.
Brown, however, could emerge as the next player to secure a considerable transfer fee. The defender remains contracted until 2030 and Frankfurt will have little need to come down on their lofty valuation.
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