Igor Matanovic: Update as Man United and Arsenal battle for deal
Manchester United and Arsenal will have to wait until next summer for a chance to get their hands on Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic, sources have told Football Insider.
The 23-year-old is quickly winning plenty of admirers in the Premier League, with Chelsea also alerted to his progress in the Bundesliga.
Matanovic is "very highly regarded" in Germany and already has six goals in seven games this season, after ending 2025-26 with 15 strikes to his name,
However, sources say that Freiburg will not consider selling their star man in January under any circumstances, with a move set to wait until next summer.
Julian Schuster's side are under no pressure to sell players after offloading Johan Manzambi to Aston Villa, and are also contending with a UEFA Conference League campaign.
However, with Matanovic's stock continuing to rise with every passing game, interest in him is expected to intensify ahead of next summer's window.
Igor Matanovic's rapid rise
Matanovic was playing for St. Pauli's reserve team as recently as the 2022-23 campaign, but since then he has enjoyed a rapid rise to the top of German football.
He struck 14 goals for Karlsruher in the 2. Bundesliga back in 2023-24, before getting his first taste of the top flight with Eintracht Frankfurt in the following campaign.
However, things didn't go to plan at Frankfurt, who quickly sold him to Freiburg ahead of last season.
Since then, the Croatian has enjoyed a sharp upward trajectory, having finished as his team's leading goalscorer last term.
Matanovic already has nine goal involvements from just seven games in all competitions this season, and his fine form has shown no signs of slowing down.
Premier League clubs are already sniffing around him, with a move next summer becoming increasingly possible.
Man United in pole position for Elliot Anderson
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on Monday that his former club will be favourites to sign Elliot Anderson if Manchester City are relegated from the Premier League.
The Citizens are awaiting punishment for their 114 financial breaches, and it is expected that an enforced relegation would trigger an auction of all of their top stars.
Brown is adamant that United will be in pole position to sign Anderson if he becomes available, given how hard they fought to try and beat City to his signature in the summer.
It remains to be seen whether the England international will become available, but if the chance to sign him arises, then United are sure to be all over it.