Arsenal switch Zinchenko move from loan to permanent

Arsenal and Ajax have altered Oleksandr Zinchenko’s exit. A six-month loan had been agreed but Ajax delayed the medical and instead pushed for a small-fee permanent transfer. With the Ukrainian defender out of contract in June, Arsenal prefer to cash in now, and all sides are confident the deal will be completed this month.

For the Arsenal left back Oleksandr Zinchenko, a planned loan exit has been altered at the eleventh hour and is now expected to become a permanent transfer to Ajax. The Ukraine international, recalled from Nottingham Forest, initially had a six month loan to the Dutch club verbally agreed and even passed Fabrizio Romano’s confirmation that medical tests in Amsterdam would follow within a day.

However, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported a delay in those medical checks and disclosed that talks had shifted toward a full transfer rather than a temporary stint. Since Zinchenko’s contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season, Ajax see little value in a loan while Arsenal can benefit from a modest fee rather than losing him for nothing in the summer. Both Mike Verweij and Ben Jacobs reported that the revised structure has broad approval and all sides remain confident a deal will be completed this month.

The move reflects Zinchenko’s diminished standing under Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s willingness to reshape their squad mid season. It comes during a busy January in which Arsenal are also monitoring Real Madrid’s Victor Valdepenas and Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco as they explore options at full back and across the back line.