Arsenal have restarted talks with Juventus for midfielder Arthur, Tuttomercatoweb reports.
The Gunners were eager to sign the Brazilian during the January transfer window, but they could not negotiate a suitable deal with the Bianconeri.
The north London club wanted a dry loan of six months, but the Serie A giants preferred an 18-month loan deal with the option to buy for €40 million.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal have now re-entered talks with Turin giants for Arthur, who is valued at up to €30m (£25m).
The report says Juventus’ sporting director Federico Cherubini is currently in London, and Arsenal are likely to negotiate a potential transfer for Arthur.
He may not be the only player under discussion. Juventus are also weighing up an offer for Gunners centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, so a potential swap deal could be on the cards.
Our view:
Arsenal currently have Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey as the regular midfield pairing, but both have missed key games this season with injuries.
Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga have fared reasonably well as the back-up options, but manager Mikel Arteta may want more quality and depth as the club return to Europe next term.
Arthur would be a good acquisition, but may not be suitable for the holding midfield role. The Brazil international does not engage in tackles, and he is more known for his quality distribution.
In the current campaign, he has won just 1.3 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per league game, but has been effective with his passing with a 90 per cent success rate with two long balls on average.
Hence, there will be questions whether he can adapt to Premier League football, but he appears to have the backing from Arteta, who believes he can bring the best out of the former Barcelona man.
Arsenal are likely to make a permanent transfer offer this time. Personal terms won’t be an issue with the player having already agreed a €5m-per-year contract at the beginning of the year.
