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Arsenal have entered discussions with Juventus regarding a move for midfielder Arthur Melo, according to Italian outlet TuttoJuve.Â
The lowdown: Interest revived
Brought to Europe by Barcelona from Brazilian outfit Gremio in 2018, the midfield maestro joined Juventus two years later for a whopping £72.5million (Sky Sports).
The 25-year-old Brazil international has since made 63 outings for the Serie A giants to add to the 71 appearances made during his time in Spain, lifting the La Liga title, Italian Cup and the Copa America so far in his career.
Having previously chased a move for Arthur during the January transfer window, it appears as though the Gunners are continuing their push to bring the Brazilian to north London…
The latest: Talks ‘activated’
As per TuttoJuve, Arsenal are believed to have ‘activated’ talks regarding a possible loan swoop for the 22-cap star this summer.
It’s claimed that the Gunners are ‘considering whether to make the decisive thrust’ for Arthur in this window as Mikel Arteta and Edu attempt to strengthen the midfield ranks accordingly.
The report also states that Arsenal would be required to pay a fee in the region of €30million (£27million) in order to make the move for the man once hailed as ‘very good’ by Lionel Messi a permanent one.
The verdict: No brainer
Having already profited from initial loan arrivals when signing Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a permanent basis, landing Arthur with an option to buy would be an exceptional piece of business from the Emirates Stadium hierarchy.
Last season, the Brazilian – who predominantly operates as a conventional central midfielder – earned a 6.83 Sofascore rating whilst winning 3.5 duels and completing 90 per cent of his passes in 20 Serie A outings, with Fbref revealing he sits in the 96th percentile for pass accuracy amongst midfielders in Europe’s top leagues.
Currently earning a reported £125,000 per week in Italy (Salary Sport), Edu should have no problem sourcing the funds to make the loan move happen and indeed the potential subsequent permanent switch.
With issues remaining over the consistency of performance from Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey, we feel that adding a player of Arthur’s calibre to the N7 ranks should be regarded as a top priority, even ahead of the heavily linked Youri Tielemans.
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