Arsenal and Man Utd Compete for Shakhtar Starlet Elias

Arsenal’s summer hasn’t slowed since lifting the Community Shield. Now they are moving off the pitch as aggressively as they played on it in Cardiff.

Fresh from a commanding 3-0 win over Manchester City and with the Premier League title defence about to begin, the champions have reportedly stepped into one of Europe’s most intriguing transfer battles: the race for Shakhtar Donetsk forward Kaua Elias Nogueira.

Champions on the hunt again

Mikel Arteta’s side open their campaign at home to newly-promoted Coventry City on Friday night, the Emirates already braced for a season where anything less than another title tilt will feel like regression.

They have not wasted the summer. The headline arrival so far is Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, a signing that thickens Arsenal’s midfield with proven Premier League quality and Champions League experience.

The plan, though, was always to go further up the pitch. Arsenal want a top-level forward before the window closes on September 1. Vinicius Junior was never going to be that man after committing his future to Real Madrid, so attention has shifted elsewhere.

That “elsewhere” now looks a lot like Arena Lviv.

Elias: Shakhtar’s £30m prodigy

According to TEAMTalk, Arsenal have joined Manchester United and a clutch of European heavyweights in tracking Elias, the 20-year-old Brazilian who has exploded onto the scene with Shakhtar.

Signed from Fluminense in February 2025 for £14.5m, Elias has already justified the outlay. Fifteen goals in 49 appearances for the Ukrainian champions tell part of the story. The rest comes in flashes: the movement, the composure, the swagger of a forward who plays as if the penalty area belongs to him.

His standout performance came on August 3, when he produced a perfect hat-trick in Shakhtar’s 5-1 demolition of Kudrivka in the Ukrainian Premier League. Left foot, right foot, header. Classic centre-forward’s catalogue, delivered on a day when the scouts turned up in force.

Around 10 potential suitors were in the stands at Arena Lviv for that game, with Arsenal and Manchester United among them. They did not leave disappointed, and they will not be alone in following up. Shakhtar, unsurprisingly, are in no rush to sell and value the forward at around £30m.

The expectation from those close to the situation is clear: Elias will move either this summer or after the 2026-27 season. AC Milan and Porto are already on the list of admirers, ready to test Shakhtar’s resolve when the moment is right.

Arsenal or Man Utd – and what comes next?

The question is not just who wins the race, but what happens after the ink dries.

For all his promise, Elias would face a brutal fight for minutes at either Arsenal or Manchester United right now. Arteta can already call on Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz in central attacking roles, a pair who helped fire the Gunners to the title. At Old Trafford, Michael Carrick has Benjamin Sesko as his spearhead, the Slovenia international signed to be the focal point of United’s rebuild.

Breaking into those line-ups this season would be a steep climb for a 20-year-old still learning the European game. That makes the next decision the most important of his career so far.

Does he choose the prestige of a Premier League giant and risk getting lost in the rotation, or opt for a club prepared to hand him regular starts and live with the growing pains?

For Arsenal and United, Elias looks like a long-term bet. For the player, it has to be about the here and now. Regular football, a clear pathway, a manager willing to shape a team around his strengths rather than park him on the bench.

The talent is obvious. The suitors are lining up. The real test comes when Elias decides which project will actually let him become the forward everyone is scrambling to sign.