Nathaniel Brown says he is ‘aware’ of interest from Arsenal but remains fully focused on seeing out a successful end to the season with Eintracht Frankfurt for the time being.
Brown, 22, enjoyed an eye-catching breakout campaign last term, making 25 league appearances in the Bundesliga to help Eintracht seal Champions League qualification with a third-place finish.
The left-back’s outstanding run of form earned him his first senior international call-up in October, with his debut coming in Germany’s 4-0 victory over Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying.
In the proceeding weeks and months, Brown has taken his game to another level altogether, further establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in German football, while adding two more caps to his collection.
He has also proven himself to be a real threat from an attacking perspective, chipping in with four goals and four assists this season with Eintracht sitting seventh in the table.
However, Brown’s performances have not gone unnoticed and top clubs from across Europe are reportedly forming a queue for the full-back ahead of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are said to have added Brown to their shortlist of targets at left-back, while the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City have also been credited with a strong interest.
But in a wide-ranging interview with Sport Bild this week, Brown insisted he was only thinking about Eintracht’s remaining five matches of the season, with European places up for grabs.
Asked whether he associates anything in particular with the sum €65.3million (£56.8m), Brown told Sport Bild: ‘No idea. It’s definitely a lot of money.’
This was the record fee that Chelsea paid for a left-back when they signed Marc Cucurella from Brighton in 2022. Asked whether he aimed to break this record in the summer, Brown responded: ‘That’s a really staggering sum.
‘But frankly, I’m not thinking about figures like that or a transfer in the summer at all.
‘My focus is entirely on Eintracht Frankfurt and our goal of qualifying for Europe. And then I’d love to be at the World Cup.
‘Then I’ll see what happens in the summer. It’s hard to plan in football, so I’m not thinking about it.’
Asked if he knew about interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester City, Brown replied: ‘Yes, I’m aware of it, but it doesn’t affect me.
‘I’m concentrating on the goals I can control. Nothing else interests me right now.’
Brown has even surprised himself with the speed at which he has gone from playing for FC Nurnberg’s reserve team to competing at an elite level with both Eintracht and Germany.
‘I never imagined it would happen so quickly,’ he explained.
‘Of course, I always believed in myself, but this journey has been incredibly fast-paced.
‘It was always my goal to become a professional footballer someday. My life has always revolved around football.’
On Eintracht’s season as a whole, Brown added: ‘It’s been a mixed bag.
‘We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. That’s really frustrating. We know we want to give the fans more consistency and wins in return.
‘We’ve had a tough time, but we’ve recovered and are doing better again, even if it’s not perfect yet.
‘Personally, things are going great for me and I’ve made another step forward in my development this season. But after a loss, I can’t really be happy if my own performance was good.’
Brown put pen to paper on a contract extension with Eintracht early last year, tying him to the club until June 2030.
There is no release clause in his current deal at Deutsche Bank Park.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Why Mikel Arteta needs an Arsenal history lesson after Champions League gaffe
MORE: Man Utd target two Bournemouth stars as Andoni Iraola responds to interest
MORE: Manchester United star ‘agrees deal to leave’ as club prepare to announce transfer
