Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City have been credited with interest in signing new Germany international Nathaniel Brown.
The 22-year-old was born to an American father and a German mother and has spent the entirety of his life and career in Europe, graduating from 1. FC Nürnberg’s academy before joining Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.
After spending the latter half of the 2023–24 season back on loan at Nürnberg, to ensure a pathway of regular first-team action, Brown is now established as a starter for Eintracht Frankfurt, and his performances have caught the attention of national team boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Called up for the first time for the October internationals, Brown made his debut for Germany in the routine 4–0 win over Luxembourg—but it’s now his potential activities away from the pitch that may get tongues wagging.
Speed Merchant Brown Attracting Attention
German publication BILD report that Brown has played his way onto the radar of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City, all of whom are expected to compete for major domestic and European honours.
Brown’s electrifying speed is noted as a key factor in making him an “attractive” proposition—he’s been clocked at a blistering 34.7 km/hr this season—while he’s also been noted for his positional awareness and intelligence in defensive situations. AC Milan are even said to have come forward with an offer in the summer, only for Brown to spurn the advances of the former seven-time Champions League winners.
Indeed, Brown’s focus is said to be fully on his future with Eintracht Frankfurt and getting into Nagelsmann’s squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Were a sale were to happen in the future, Brown’s hefty €60 million ($69.3 million) release clause is used as a point of reference—a significant amount of money that’s not out of the question after the sales of Hugo Ekitiké to Liverpool (for €80 million, potentially rising to €95 million) and Omar Marmoush to Man City (€75 million) during the past year.
Would Brown Have a Role to Play at Real Madrid, Arsenal or Man City?
Brown certainly has the talent to mix it on the biggest stage and is currently competing in the Champions League with Eintracht Frankfurt. He’s seen both ends of the results spectrum in the two games played during this league phase—a resounding 5–1 win over Galatasaray was followed up with an equally emphatic 5–1 thumping at the hands of Atlético Madrid.
Whether or not he’d get as many minutes as he does now remains to be seen, but Real Madrid and City, on paper at least, could do with another option at left back. Ferland Mendy and Fran García are steady, yet unspectacular options for Xabi Alonso in the Spanish capital, while Pep Guardiola’s Man City have deployed Nico O’Reilly, a midfielder by trade, at left back because of necessity at times (injuries) but also out of choice on some occasions—a nod to a lack of depth.
Arsenal would appear to be well stocked, with Riccardo Calafiori the starting option and Myles Lewis-Skelly the understudy in 2025–26, but Mikel Arteta’s not shied away from ensuring he’s got top quality cover in abundance for most positions—a strategy that appears to be paying dividends as the Gunners top the Premier League table after the season’s early exchanges.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘On the List’—Real Madrid, Arsenal, Man City Battling for German Star.
