Super agent Kia Joorabchian is ready to help Arsenal broker a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes but the Gunners will need to fend off rival interest from Juventus to land the Lyon midfielder, according to report via Football London.
Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his squad this winter as he looks to get Arsenal back in Europe next season and midfield has become a priority area of concern for the North Londoners.
Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are currently away at the African Cup of Nations, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has joined Roma on loan while Granit Xhaka is on the sidelines with covid. The lack of options in the middle of the park forced Arteta to hand 18-year-old Charlie Patino his full debut during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
After the game at the City Ground on Sunday evening, Arteta confirmed he’s hoping to bring in another midfielder this month and Guimaraes has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent weeks.
The Evening Standard reported last week that Arsenal are keen on signing the Lyon star but faced competition from the likes of Newcastle and Everton, while Goal Brazil now suggests that Juventus have joined the race as well.
The outlet says Juve have already asked Lyon to sign Guimaraes on loan and while the Ligue 1 outfit are prepared to let the 24-year-old leave this month, they want any loan deal to include an obligation to make the move permanent for £37.5m [€45m] in the summer.
That kind of deal may be tempting for Arsenal but Goal Brazil suggests that Juventus are unlikely to agree to those terms due to their financial situation, so the Gunners could still be well placed to win the race.
Arsenal could also have an ace up their sleeve as Football London claims that super agent Kia Joorabchian is ready to get involved as an intermediary to help the Londoners broker a deal with Lyon.
Joorabchian has a close relationship with Arsenal director Edu and the pair have done several deals together over the past few years so the super agent could use his connections to help get an agreement in place for Guimaraes.
The Brazilian international would be an excellent signing if Arsenal could pull it off as he’s developed into one of the best midfielders in French football since joining Lyon from Athletico Paranaense in 2020.
