Arsenal are in advanced negotiations to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his midfield options this month, according to RMC Sport.
Arteta has made it clear in recent weeks that he needs to bring in new faces during the January transfer window to help boost Arsenal’s attempts to qualify for Europe this season having missed out in recent years.
Midfield has become an area of real concern for the Gunners as Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations while Granit Xhaka is currently on the sidelines with covid.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been allowed to join AS Roma on loan for the rest of the season which has reduced Arteta’s options in the middle of the park even further leading to 18-year-old Charlie Patino being given his full debut last weekend.
The situation has forced Arteta into the winter market for midfield reinforcements and Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for Lyon star Bruno Guimaraes in recent weeks.
RMC Sport [12:55pm] claims that while Guimaraes is well liked at the Emirates Stadium, a move for the Lyon ace is unlikely this month so Arsenal have made signing Arthur their top priority.
Arthur priority
It appears the north London giants are now closing-in on a deal as the French outlet says Arsenal are in advanced talks with Juventus over a deal to sign Arthur on loan until the end of the season. Goal are one of several other sources reporting a similar story so it appears Arsenal’s interest in Arthur is genuine.
The 25-year-old made his name at Gremio where he forged a reputation as one of the best youngsters in South American football which earned him a dream move to Barcelona in 2018. However, his time at the Nou Camp turned into a nightmare and he was sold to Juventus in 2020 as part of a deal involving Miralem Pjanic heading in the opposite direction.
Arthur has also struggled to find his best form in Turin under Max Allegri as he’s started just 3 Serie A games this season and has only completed the full ninety minutes once in all competitions.
It looks like Arsenal are now ready to offer the Brazilian international a fresh start in the Premier League and Juventus could be open to letting Arthur leave given his fringe status in their star-studded squad.
We’ll have to wait and see how this story develops over the coming days but if Arsenal are unable to land Guimaraes on a permanent basis this month then a temporary loan for Arthur could be a solid move to help ease their midfield crisis.
