Man Utd and Arsenal embroiled in transfer battle over signing 'next R9' as Premier League clubs on notice

Manchester United and Arsenal are battling to sign one of Europe's most promising centre-forwards in the final weeks of the window.

A record-breaking summer for several Premier League clubs has seen both Michael Carrick and Mikel Arteta bolster their squads.

United were active early on in the window, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos both joining from Aston Villa and Chelsea, respectively, while Karl Darlow arrived as a back-up goalkeeper on a free transfer from Leeds United.

Carrick is still in the market for a left-back, central midfielder and left-sided forward in the last two weeks of the window in preparation for their return to the Champions League.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have also made three additions, including eye-catching moves for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis.

The Gunners can be happy with the fine-tuning Arteta has made to his squad, but their spending may not stop there, as they're in the mix alongside Man United to sign Shakhtar Donetsk striker Kaua Elias.

The Sun revealed on August 6 that scouts from both Premier League clubs watched Elias during his side's Ukraine Premier League match against Kudrivka.

Widely regarded as one of Brazil's most promising stars, the 20-year-old scored a perfect hat-trick in that match - a 5-1 victory for Shakhtar - to underline his undoubted potential.

TEAMtalk have since stated that the fleet-footed forward is valued at £30 million, adding that Arsenal's attention towards the player has 'intensified' in recent weeks.

Crucially, the two Premier League clubs are viewed as the 'strongest contenders financially' despite interest from European powerhouses AC Milan and Porto, who are both 'closely monitoring' his situation.

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Shakhtar want interested clubs to meet their £30m asking price in full before taking any interest seriously. The Ukrainian giants are under no pressure to sell their prized asset as he's under contract until December 2029.

Nonetheless, interest from both Arsenal and Man United in Elias sets up a potentially thrilling transfer battle in the final two weeks of the window.

Kaua Elias has compared himself to Ronaldo

Elias was signed in February last year from Fluminense for around £14.5m, and he instantly proved why he was worth that outlay.

Combining aerial ability, composure in the box and proficiency with both feet, the young Brazilian was earmarked as someone who could become a complete forward.

Arsenal and Man United will have seen that firsthand when they watched him in the flesh, and the precocious talent has already compared himself to Ronaldo, arguably the greatest Brazilian striker of all-time.

When asked about similarities to his two idols, Neymar and Ronaldo, Elias explained why his playstyle is more like the latter, who was known for terrorising defences with his pace, power and ruthless finishing.

"I think I'm more drawn to Ronaldo because of his speed, dribbling, and finishing," Elias told AS in October 2024.

"Neymar has been my idol since his time playing here in Brazil and then in Europe. I don't have Neymar's style because we play in different positions. But they are the two best players I've ever seen."

If interest from Arsenal or Man United comes to fruition before the September 1 deadline, then supporters may get to watch his talents dazzle in English football.