Jacobo Ramón

Jacobo Ramón, the young option in the defensive rebuild

With William Saliba out for months, Arsenal have added Jacobo Ramón to their centre-back shortlist. The 21-year-old Spaniard, a Real Madrid academy product who joined Como in 2025 for ≈€2.5m, is coming off a full breakthrough season in Serie A. The deal is complicated by the clauses Real retained (a 50% sell-on plus buy-back options), which push the price up: Como are believed to want €45-50m. Chelsea are tracking him too. Interest stage, no bid.

Latest development

1. 30/08Real Madrid hold the keys.

   The trail remains open but is complicated by a third party: when they sold Jacobo Ramón to Como last year, Real Madrid retained a large sell-on percentage and a buy-back option, and their preference is said to be a return in summer 2027 rather than an immediate activation. Arsenal continue to assess centre-back profiles to cover Saliba's long absence. No bid has been submitted.

2. 14/08 (evening)

   : The Athletic, via Yahoo Sports and SportsView on 11 August, confirms Arsenal are still monitoring Ramón, with William Saliba's and Jurriën Timber's injuries pushing a centre-back back up the list. He was watched at close range in the final pre-season friendly, Como visiting the Emirates. Two known and unchanged obstacles: Real Madrid retain 50% of his economic rights plus a buy-back clause. No bid lodged.

   Sami Mokbel (BBC Sport, July 24) reports Arsenal are monitoring Ramón as part of their centre-back search after Saliba’s injury; The Athletic confirm he is on the Gunners’ shortlist alongside Ezri Konsa and John Stones. The obstacle is contractual rather than sporting: Real Madrid kept a 50% sell-on and buy-back options, which mechanically inflates Como’s asking price (€45-50m mentioned for a player valued around €30m). Chelsea are on the same case. No club-to-club contact or bid reported at this stage.

3. 30/07 (evening)

   : the file moves up a notch, by elimination. Sports Mole (29/07, citing The Athletic) describe Ramón as Arsenal's plan C behind Marc Guéhi, who joined Manchester City, and John Stones, who is signing for Inter. The Gunners are looking at a permanent deal rather than a loan and are ready to spend rather than settle for a stopgap. The blocker is still contractual (Real Madrid keep 50% of any future sale plus a buy-back option) and Chelsea are still on the case. No club-to-club contact or bid reported so far — status unchanged.

4. 19/08Arsenal have found their defender elsewhere.

   The agreement reached with Aston Villa for Ezri Konsa fills precisely the need that kept this file alive after Saliba's injury. There has been no fresh reporting on Ramón since 11 August, no club-to-club contact has ever been reported, and ESPN say Arsenal were choosing between Konsa and Quansah, without mentioning the Spaniard. The score drops six points. We are not closing the line: no source has written that the trail is dead, and Como have denied nothing.