Arsenal Given Davide Bartesaghi Transfer Update After AC Milan Wonderkid’s Two-Goal Heroics
The talented defender scored a brace in the 2-2 draw with Sassuolo on Sunday.
Arsenal have been dealt an apparent blow in their pursuit of AC Milan wonderkid Davide Bartesaghi.
Arsenal Missed Out On Davide Bartesaghi
Bartesaghi, 19, scored his first senior goals for Milan in the 2-2 draw with Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday. His heroics also made him the youngest Rossoneri defender to hit a brace since the legendary Paolo Maldini in 1988.
The full-back has become indispensable under Massimiliano Allegri, starting nine of the last 10 top-flight matches, and a host of elite clubs across Europe are understood to be keeping a close eye on his progress.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are among them, having missed out on luring him to the Emirates in the summer.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the pursuit has now become ‘more complicated’ for Mikel Arteta.
The outlet has also highlighted the fact that Bartesaghi progressed through the youth set-up at the San Siro and has supported the club since childhood. He has also been tipped as a future senior Italy international.
Furthermore, his two-goal display at the weekend will have only cemented Milan’s desire to keep hold of the talented youngster.
He has made 28 senior appearances to date and was a regular for the U20s and U23s, chalking up goal contributions at both levels.
La doppietta di Bartesaghi in #MilanSassuolo 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z0pRgM9pW1
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) December 15, 2025
Davide Bartesaghi Delighted With AC Milan Brace
After his brace against Sassuolo, Bartesaghi shared his delight with his performance.
“I’m very happy, it’s a dream come true for me to play and score in these colours,” he told Milan TV.
The youngster then added: “It gives me goosebumps, but I’m also sorry that the team wasn’t able to win. That’s a shame. I didn’t know I was the youngest AC Milan defender to score since Maldini, and I’m happy about that.
“I owe a lot to this team, to my teammates, and to the coach for their faith in me.
“The hardest was the first goal: a ball from the outside, I had a lot of players in front of me, but I believed in it and closed the far post. Then I had the entire net open, and I just had to push it in.”
Why Arsenal Want Davide Bartesaghi
Bartesaghi will be difficult to prise away from the San Siro, and the fact that he has five years remaining on his contract at Milan means the Italian club very much hold his destiny in their hands.
While he is not quite the finished product, the defender has taken giant strides since making his way up the ladder, so much so that Milan Live journalist Vincenzo Matrone described him as “powerful”.
He has also improved significantly in one-on-one situations, helping him fend off the league’s best forwards.
Arsenal are building for the future and have identified Bartesaghi as a prospect also capable of making an immediate impact. Perhaps crucially, the club are no stranger to dealing with clubs in Italy, too.
Riccardo Calafiori arrived from Bologna in 2024, while Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu also played in Serie A.
Bartesaghi played against Arsenal in pre-season, allowing Arteta to watch him in action.
Clearly, he was impressed.
Dan Davis
Dan is an experienced sports journalist and part-time lecturer. An expert on Serie A and Italian football, he has produced content for the likes of the Daily Mail, Reach PLC, GiveMeSport, FourFourTwo and GRV Media. While Channel 4's iconic Football Italia was a bit before his time, the nostalgia - and pastries - fuelled his love of all things Calcio.
Our unbiased editorial policy
Despite ongoing collaborations with commercial affiliates, the details, information, and reviews we provide remain honest and unbiased. We keep this in check by implementing a stringent editorial policy.
Our policy implements strict editorial standards, ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of our articles, news, and reviews. Only the highest-quality content reaches our pages. We achieve this through conducting thorough research on each topic, conveyed to you using unbiased reporting, to ensure we earn your trust and keep it.
