Arsenal have been linked with Sporting Lisbon winger Joelson Fernandes for a while now, and the speculation refuses to go away as there is a new update on the possible transfer.
According to the Daily Star, the Gunners are willing to offer a player in a swap-deal involving cash for the teenage winger to bring down his £40m asking price. It is as yet unknown whether this will persuade the Portuguese club to allow the transfer to happen.
So far, Fernandes has only played in the academy at Sporting Lisbon, where he has made 28 appearances, scoring five goals and supplying two assists, per Transfermarkt. The goal contribution tally isn’t as high as some supporters might want but the potential is there to see.
It is worth keeping in mind that he is still only 17 but playing at under-23 level, which is a strong indicator of his talent, while he has ample time to develop even further as a player and build upon his early promise.
His performances are not going unnoticed by his national side Portugal, either, as he has slowly progressed into their under-17 side, for whom he has played three times and scored one goal, per Transfermarkt.
Fernandes seems to have great potential but, if he does come to Arsenal, then one of the young stars currently at the club like Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka could be pushed down the pecking order. With the potential they have, it would seem like a weird decision for the Gunners to make if they were to sign the Sporting Lisbon youngster, particularly for £40m for a largely unproven player.
Gunners fans, should Arsenal forget about trying to sign Joelson Fernandes? Let us know your views by commenting below!
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