By OkayGoal
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all joined Arsenal in keeping tabs on Boca Juniors youngster Tomás Aranda, with the 20-year-old’s breakthrough year in Argentina attracting an increasingly crowded list of admirers.
Arsenal were among the first Premier League clubs linked with Aranda, and that English interest is now getting considerably longer. Argentine outlets El Intransigente and El Crack Deportivo both report Chelsea are following the midfielder closely, with El Intransigente also naming Liverpool and the City Group among his admirers, meaning Manchester City can reasonably be added to the picture, though the report specifically references the City Group rather than Enzo Maresca’s side individually. Boca, unsurprisingly, would prefer all of them to stay away, at least for now.
Tomás Aranda’s development explains the growing Premier League queue
Aranda’s progress throughout 2026 explains why so many clubs are taking notice. Earlier reports linking Arsenal with the youngster came when he had played only 21 senior matches, registering one goal and two assists at that stage. Those numbers have since moved on considerably. Aranda has now made 30 appearances this year, playing 1,931 minutes and registering one goal and three assists.
More importantly for Boca, he has become a regular part of manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s plans and one of the top performers in Argentina. Club president Juan Román Riquelme sees the midfielder as one of Boca’s most valuable young assets. El Intransigente reports both Riquelme and Arruabarrena want Aranda to stay and continue his development in Argentina rather than making an early move to Europe.
His contract certainly helps the club’s position. Aranda is tied to Boca until December 2029, meaning there is no obligation to entertain ordinary offers. There is, though, a fairly obvious catch.
The €17m release clause that could unlock a deal
Aranda’s contract contains a $20 million release clause, currently worth around €17 million (£15 million). El Crack Deportivo says Boca do not want to lose the midfielder, and El Intransigente makes clear Riquelme wants to keep one of the club’s biggest young prospects. However, an interested side willing to trigger that clause would leave Boca with little contractual power to stop the transfer.
For any Premier League side, €17 million is not an enormous gamble on a 20-year-old already playing regularly for one of South America’s biggest clubs. But English sides are far from the only ones circling. Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Parma and Como are all named in the latest reports, alongside Brazil’s Corinthians and São Paulo.
Then there are the earlier links from England. Aston Villa and Brighton have both been credited with interest in Aranda in recent weeks, although neither has moved forward with a formal offer. Nobody has made a concrete move yet, and Boca clearly want to keep him. With Chelsea, Liverpool and the City Group now added to an already sizeable list, that €17 million clause could become increasingly uncomfortable for Riquelme to hold his ground on.
Tomas Aranda with a real masterclass yesterday.
As I told you yesterday: “His ability to attack space”; he showed exactly that again, while also highlighting how creative he is and how good his ball carrying is.
19 years old pic.twitter.com/PbVA1QzH2B https://t.co/4kngTFgCxi
— ❄️ (@FBallerscout) August 12, 2026