Chelsea and Manchester United have turned down the chance to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly, the Telegraph reports, after being approached by an intermediary associated with the Arsenal left-back.
Lewis-Skelly, 19, faces an uncertain future at the Emirates, with Mikel Arteta currently favouring the more experienced Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié at left-back.
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Although he ended last season strongly, contributing to Arsenal’s 22-year wait for the title finally ending, his best moments came when shifted into midfield, an area now heavily reinforced following the £75 million signing of Bruno Guimarães, who’s expected to partner Declan Rice alongside World Cup winners Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino.
Despite the contact from both clubs, Lewis-Skelly, who turns 20 in September, is understood to be determined to fight for his place at Arsenal rather than push for an exit. Arsenal value him at around £45 million, a fee that would represent pure profit given his academy status.
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Chelsea, who replaced the departing Marc Cucurella with Pep Chavarría in a deal potentially worth £19 million, showed no interest in discussing a deal, having already spent more than £300 million this summer under new boss Xabi Alonso.
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United were similarly dismissive, despite Lewis-Skelly’s rapid emergence under Arteta two seasons ago and six England caps to his name.
His departure would be a blow to Arsenal’s academy pipeline, with Lewis-Skelly long considered, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, part of the club’s long-term core. There’s a strong sense he’s been offered to clubs beyond Chelsea and United too, though Liverpool are understood not to be among them.
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