Arsenal have discussed the possibility of launching a move to sign Arthur Melo on loan with a deal for prime target Bruno Guimaraes unlikely this month, according to Fabrizio Romano via The Sun.
Mikel Arteta confirmed last week that the club are working hard on bringing in new players during the January transfer window and central midfield has become a priority area of concern for the Gunners.
Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations and Ainsley Maitland-Niles has joined AS Roma on loan until the end of the season.
Granit Xhaka is currently isolating after testing positive for covid so Areta was forced to hand a full debut to 18-year-old Charlie Patino alongside 22-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga in the middle of the park during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
With the squad so stretched, it’s no surprise that Arsenal are in the market for another midfielder and the Evening Standard are one of several outlets reporting that Guimaraes is the clubs first choice transfer target.
The 24-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates for over a year after becoming one of the most highly-rated midfielders in French football since joining Lyon from Athletico Paranaense in 2020.
Move unlikely
The Sun are citing Fabrizio Romano as saying that Arsenal are working to sign a new midfielder this month and £37.5m-rated Guimaraes is on their radar but a move in January appears highly unlikely.
Therefore, Romano claims that Arsenal have held discussions about the possibility of signing Arthur Melo on loan while a third unnamed player is also on the North Londoners list of potential targets.
The Italian journalist says Arsenal are yet to make formal contact with Juventus to propose a deal but Arthur has emerged as a realistic target as the Gunners look to solve their midfield crisis.
The 25-year-old joined Juve from Barcelona in 2020 but has made just 5 Serie A appearances so far this season so the Italian giants may be open the idea of allowing Arthur to leave on loan this month.
We’ll have to wait and see how things progress but the Brazilian international would be a solid short-term addition to Arteta’s squad if Arsenal end up landing him on loan before the window closes.
