By OkayGoal
Just days after Arsenal were reported to be closely tracking Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Newcastle United appear to have swooped in with genuine intent, with French journalist Loic Tanzi reporting that Lille have received a concrete offer worth around €40million, rising to roughly €45million with add ons.
Newcastle United look to hijack Arsenal transfer for Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Lille a reçu une offre de 40 M€, hors bonus, autour de 45 M€ bonus compris, de Newcastle pour Fernandez-Pardo https://t.co/L1MP0DxHa5
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) August 24, 2026
It is a move that will not sit well with anyone at the Emirates who had been quietly monitoring the Belgian winger as a potential option out wide, particularly with Gabriel Martinelli’s long term future still very much up in the air amid interest from Saudi Arabia and Serie A.
Newcastle, flush with funds and clearly eager to make a statement of their own this window, have wasted little time putting real numbers on the table rather than simply being linked from the sidelines, and that kind of concrete offer tends to focus a selling club’s mind rather quickly.
For Arsenal, this could turn into exactly the sort of situation Arteta will want to avoid, watching a player they had earmarked slip away simply because a rival moved with more urgency. Lille’s €70million valuation always looked a stretch for a 19-year-old with limited senior experience, but Newcastle’s willingness to get close to that figure suggests they see something worth backing heavily.
Author Opinion
With Martinelli’s situation still unresolved and question marks hanging over the left hand side of Arteta’s attack, losing out on a player identified as a long term option would sting more than it might in a normal window.
Arsenal have shown all summer they prefer to move with care rather than panic but care has its costs and it could just cost Berta & Co a Belgian prodigy.
Whether the Gunners choose to match Newcastle’s aggression or simply let this one go remains to be seen. Lille will hardly complain about two Premier League sides driving up the price of one of their prized assets, and reports suggest talks are moving quickly enough that a decision either way should not be far off.
For now, Gooners watching this one unfold will be hoping Arteta has not been caught napping on a player who, only a week ago, looked to be firmly on Arsenal’s radar.