Manchester United weigh move for Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly as Arteta considers squad options

Manchester United are assessing whether Arsenal would be willing to sell England international Myles Lewis-Skelly, despite the London club’s current preference to keep the defender at Emirates Stadium.

United have maintained a long-standing interest in Lewis-Skelly, who has made 75 appearances for his boyhood club and has won six caps for England. The Manchester club are now “investigating” whether Arsenal might be prepared to consider a transfer, according to The Independent.

Arsenal are not currently looking to part with the 18-year-old, but that position could change if manager Mikel Arteta completes ambitious moves for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

Those potential additions could affect the make-up of Arteta’s squad and, in turn, Lewis-Skelly’s prospects at Emirates Stadium. For now, however, Arsenal would prefer to retain the player who has emerged from their academy and established himself as an England international.

Lewis-Skelly joined Arsenal during the 2024-25 season and quickly attracted widespread praise for his performances. During that campaign, Arteta’s side reached the latter stages of the Champions League. The source article describes Arsenal as Premier League champions, while also stating that they finished second in the Premier League.

The defender had been expected to build on that progress last season and become one of the most important members of Arteta’s squad. Instead, he found opportunities difficult to secure during the first half of the campaign.

A sequence of productive and impressive performances later appeared to settle much of the speculation surrounding his future. His improved displays suggested that he had a significant role to play at Arsenal, but United’s renewed interest means questions over his longer-term position have returned.

Manchester United’s approach is understood to be exploratory at this stage rather than a formal bid. The club are seeking to establish whether Arsenal’s stance could be influenced by their recruitment plans before deciding whether to advance their interest.

Arsenal’s immediate preference remains to keep Lewis-Skelly, whose connection with the club stretches back to his youth career. His 75 appearances for the first team and six England caps underline how quickly he has progressed, although the report indicates that his place in Arteta’s plans could be reassessed if the manager strengthens several areas of the squad.

The potential arrival of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United and Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid is therefore central to the situation. If both deals were completed, Arsenal’s squad options would change considerably, and that could lead to a different view of Lewis-Skelly’s future.

For now, United are monitoring the circumstances while Arsenal continue to prefer a future for the player in north London.