Arsenal are poised to make a renewed push to sign Juventus’ Arthur Melo, though a mind-boggling demand is unlikely to aid their cause.
The Gunners are known to be on the hunt for additions at both centre-forward and central midfield this month. Their efforts in the final third have centred primarily on Fiorentina marksman Dusan Vlahovic. If Italian outlet La Repubblica is to be believed, Arsenal have finally made a breakthrough.
On the midfield front, Arsenal have been linked with a rather lengthier list of players.
Denis Zakaria, Danilo, Youri Tielemans, and Goerginio Wijnaldum are just four stars indexed to the Gunners this window. However, the name who has made the headlines most recently is Arthur Melo.
Juventus are understood to be open to loaning the 25-year-old out this month. Friday’s Euro Paper Talk revealed Arthur Melo had been granted permission to negotiate personal terms over a loan move to north London.
But before any agreement can be reached, Juventus wish to sign a suitable replacement first. Depleting your strength in depth is never wise, especially during a global pandemic.
That prompted speculation Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be drafted in to fill the void. However, Thomas Tuchel’s comments on Friday suggested Loftus-Cheek is well within his thinking at Stamford Bridge.
Loftus-Cheek has “a lot to fight for” at Chelsea
Tuchel said: “Ruben has a lot of game time compared to the last years. He has a lot to fight for here in my personal opinion.”
Nevertheless, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has provided a fresh update on both prospective deals.
Firstly, Romano confirmed that no agreement to sign Arthur has yet been reached. However, the Italian then stated ‘next week will be key’.
That’s because Arsenal have decided to ‘push again’ in their efforts to twist Juventus’ arm.
Romano noted a loan exit for Arthur is yet to be approved by manager Max Allegri. The Juve boss is highly unlikely to give the deal the green light until a deputy is first signed.
At present, the identity of that deputy is unlikely to be Chelsea’s Loftus-Cheek. Romano added the Turin club are yet to initiate dialogue with either Chelsea or the player – as yet.
Mind-boggling Arthur Melo demand emerges
Bizarrely, Football London (citing Sky Sports Italy) reported Juve would be willing to sanction a deal if Thomas Partey moved the other way.
But Partey has begun to justify his lofty price tag this season and engaging in a swap deal would not remedy Mikel Arteta’s current midfield crisis.
With Partey off the table, Arsenal will be hoping Juventus ramp up their hunt for an Arthur Melo replacement soon, and preferably, begin identifying more realistic targets.
Five Premier League keepers who desperately need moves this January
Diego Costa returning to London?
Meanwhile, Arsenal have made an informal approach over the availability of former Chelsea striker Diego Costa, according to a report.
Talk of a move for Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic has ramped up significantly in recent days. Nevertheless, a deal for the Serbian this month will reportedly cost £150million and the Gunners will face significant competition for him in the summer.
As such, Goal in Brazil has claimed that Arsenal have tested the water over potentially bringing Costa back to the Premier League. The Gunners have made an ‘informal consultation’ to find out about the player’s plans.
Costa has recently terminated his contract with Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro. The 33-year-old moved there in August 2021 after leaving Atletico Madrid last January.
Arsenal have not made an official proposal for Costa yet, but they are keeping an eye on his situation.
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