Borussia Dortmund has made an official approach to Arsenal for a loan deal for the 19-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. The summer transfer window closes on Tuesday, and Dortmund hopes for a late addition to fill the gap left by Giannis Konstantelias’ long-term injury.
The midfielder made 37 appearances for Arsenal in the 2024-25 season, scoring nine goals and providing two assists. His breakthrough came following an injury to Bukayo Saka, after which he has predominantly been used in central midfield. Dortmund points to their development of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham as evidence of their suitability to nurture Nwaneri’s talent.
Under Mikel Arteta, Nwaneri has fallen down the pecking order. The Arsenal manager said: “he 'needs to play football', adding that 'certain players' may need to leave this summer“. Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, and the newly signed Bruno Guimaraes are cited as potential obstacles to his first-team minutes. In the current 2026-27 season, Nwaneri has yet to make a competitive appearance for Arsenal.
Alongside Konstantelias’ ACL injury, Justin Lerma, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Ramy Bensebaini are also sidelined. The team sits fifth in the Bundesliga with 3 points from one game (1 win, 0 draws, 0 losses) and a goal difference of +2. Their next fixture is an away match against 1899 Hoffenheim on September 5, 2026, with Hoffenheim currently ranked 12th in the table. See also our standings for the current table and fixtures for the fixture list.
Dortmund has also been linked with a move for Marcel Regula from Zaglebie Lubin, but the focus remains on securing a loan for Nwaneri. The player made his Premier League debut at age 15 years, 5 months, and 28 days against Brentford in September 2022 and remains the youngest player ever to appear in the competition. A decision on the loan could come in the coming days before the window shuts. For more on the squad, visit squad, and for player statistics, check stats.
