Arsenal transfer news: Gunners eyeing Ajax wonderkid amid Barcelona interest

Mika Godts, the prolific young Ajax forward, has caught the eye of a number of European clubs, including Barcelona and Arsenal. The Belgian's future is reportedly set to lie far from the Netherlands next season.

In March, journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on X that Manchester United were chasing Ajax's new “Eden Hazard”. The English club, currently 3rd in the Premier League, are sold on the season the 20-year-old left winger is producing. Godts, in Amsterdam since 2023 following a move from Genk, has plundered 16 goals and laid on 13 assists for his team. While Godts is more productive in the Eredivisie than in the Champions League — eight appearances, no goals, one assist — a host of clubs are keen to take him to the next level in 2026-27.

According to Mundo Deportivo, that is notably the case for Barcelona and Arsenal. AS Roma are also lurking in the shadows, but both sportingly and financially, the Italian outfit appear to be lagging behind the competition from the Catalans and the Gunners on the file. The Belgian, the scorer of a stunning goal at the weekend with Ajax which echoed the exploits of one Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has duly polished his stock ahead of the opening of the transfer market.

What price tag for Mika Godts, tracked by Barcelona and Arsenal?

As relayed not long ago by Fabrizio Romano, the left winger will be sold by Ajax this summer. The Dutch club do not want to stand in the way of their player taking the next step in his career, while also looking to recoup a tidy sum from his departure. With his contract running until June 2029, Godts is currently valued at around £21m (€25m).

Mika Godts dribbelt alle verdedigers én de keeper voorbij!🤯🤩#nacaja pic.twitter.com/fGItCNFzL4

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) April 25, 2026

With Marcus Rashford too expensive for the Catalan club and unlikely to stay on at the end of his loan deal, Barcelona intend to lean on their historically strong ties with Ajax — the other major club of Catalan legend Johan Cruyff — to gazump the competition from Arsenal and AS Roma for the left winger. Godts's versatility, with the Belgian able to operate on the left, through the middle and on the right, is a key asset in his recruitment, given that he would not be forced to compete head-on with the likes of Lamine Yamal or Raphinha on either flank.

Why Godts could fit Arsenal's attacking blueprint

For Arsenal, the appeal lies in the Belgian's two-footed flexibility and his ability to fit into a forward line that has, at times this season, looked one-dimensional on the wings. Mikel Arteta's side have long been on the hunt for additional creative dynamism in attacking areas, and a £21m investment for a 20-year-old with Eredivisie pedigree and Champions League minutes already in the bank would represent the type of value-driven move the Gunners' recruitment team typically favours.