Arsenal Join Manchester United in Chase for Shakhtar Starlet Elias

Arsenal’s summer has already carried the swagger of champions. A 3-0 dismantling of Manchester City in the Community Shield, a title defence kicking off at home to newly-promoted Coventry City on Friday, and the headline signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United to stiffen an already polished midfield.

Now the gaze has turned to the future of their forward line – and to one of Europe’s most talked-about young attackers.

Arsenal join elite queue for Elias

Arsenal have reportedly joined Manchester United and a clutch of top European clubs in the chase for Shakhtar Donetsk forward Kaua Elias Nogueira, known simply as Elias, as the transfer window ticks towards its September 1 deadline.

TEAMTalk report that the Premier League champions are tracking the 20-year-old Brazilian, who has quickly become a standout performer for Shakhtar since arriving from Fluminense in February 2025 for £14.5m.

Elias has returned 15 goals in 49 appearances for the Ukrainian side, numbers that only tell part of the story. On August 3 he produced the kind of performance that makes scouts sit up and scribble in capital letters: a perfect hat-trick – right foot, left foot, header – in a 5-1 demolition of Kudrivka in the Ukrainian top flight at Arena Lviv.

That game turned into an audition. Around 10 clubs are understood to have had representatives in the stands, with Arsenal and Manchester United among them, as the youngster ripped through Kudrivka and underlined why Shakhtar now value him at around £30m.

The expectation inside the Ukrainian club is clear: Elias will move either in this window or at the end of the 2026-27 season. AC Milan and Porto are also credited with serious interest, adding a continental edge to what is already shaping into a heavyweight battle for his signature.

For Arsenal, the pursuit comes after accepting that any move for Vinicius Junior is off the table following his new contract at Real Madrid. The champions still want a top-level forward to round off their summer, and Elias fits the profile of a long-term project who can grow under Mikel Arteta.

Who needs Elias more: Arsenal or Man Utd?

Strip away the hype and one question lingers: where would Elias actually play right now?

At Arsenal, the pathway to the starting XI is crowded. Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz give Arteta established options through the middle, with a supporting cast of versatile attackers who can rotate across the front line. Breaking into that side in the short term would be a serious challenge for any 20-year-old, no matter how explosive.

Manchester United, under Michael Carrick, are building around Benjamin Sesko as their focal point in attack. The Slovenia international is expected to lead the line, which again places Elias in the category of development signing rather than instant starter at Old Trafford.

That reality makes the decision for the Brazilian more complex than simply choosing the biggest badge. Regular first-team football will shape the next phase of his career far more than a glamorous unveiling.

Shakhtar have polished his raw talent. His next club will decide whether he becomes another bright prospect lost in the shuffle, or the next Brazilian forward to dominate Europe’s biggest nights.