Technical director Edu agreed a deal with Juventus to sign Arthur on an initial 18-month deal but the Arsenal board have refused to sign if off, according to reports via TeamTalk.
Mikel Arteta has been desperately trying to strengthen his squad this month to help boost Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League next season.
A new midfielder has been identified as a priority by the Spanish coach as Arsenal’s lack of depth in the middle of the park has been exposed this month so Arteta is keen to bring in another option before the window closes.
Arthur has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium during the winter window and it appears Arsenal had the chance to sign the South American midfielder but have passed it up.
According to The Athletic, via TeamTalk, Arsenal’s technical director Edu agreed a deal with Juventus counterpart Federico Cherubini to sign Arthur on an initial 18-month loan with the option to buy for £34m.
However, the report says the Arsenal board have refused to sign off the deal as they deemed it was too much of a risk and would have preferred a more short-term solution, such as a simple 6-month loan.
Struggles
Arthur has struggled to establish himself since joining Juventus from Barcelona in 2020 after also failing to make an impact during his time at the Nou Camp, so Arsenal’s hierarchy didn’t want to be tied into an 18-month deal in-case the Brazilian didn’t settle in England either.
The 25-year-old certainly has the talent to be a top player but it’s understandable why Arsenal chiefs were reluctant to commit to an 18-month loan considering Arthur has failed to live up to expectations at his last two clubs.
However, the decision to snub the proposed deal for Arthur will still come as a frustration to Arteta as the Spaniard desperately needs to bring in another midfielder before the window closes on the 31st.
We’ll have to wait and see if anything develops over the coming days but time is running out for Arsenal to boost their squad for the second half of the season.
