Arsenal are looking to sign a central midfielder this summer after losing a number of players from the engine room in the last two years. The Gunners sold Mattéo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira last summer while loaning out Sambi Lokonga, but they’ve sold Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen and released Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a free transfer this summer, so they will need to replace the outgoings.
Several names have been linked this summer, but Brazilian journalist Rafael Pfeiffer (h/t The Sun) says Arsenal are looking to sign Bitello. The 23-year-old joined Gremio from FC Cascavel in 2018 and has gone on to make 83 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals with seven assists. Bitello is rated highly in Brazil but won’t be easy to sign due to the transfer structure.
Gremio want £8.5m for 70% of the versatile midfielder, but The Sun noted that Premier League clubs must sign 100% of a transfer target since 2007 (£12m). Bitello has scored seven goals with four assists from 33 games across the board this season, so he boasts a real threat in the final third. And with enough positional versatility to play out wide and in an attacking-midfield role, Arteta could have competition for Buyako Saka if he signed Bitello.
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Despite all the midfielders that left Arsenal in the last two years, Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are still on the books. Declan Rice is expected to be an Arsenal player too, so Bitello wouldn’t walk straight into the side. And out wide, Arteta has Nicolas Pepe, Reiss Nelson and Marquinhos who can put pressure on Saka’s position.
That being said, Bitello is a talented player. The South American has quick feet, can beat his opponent in a one-one-one and has a fantastic eye for goal. Whether he’s disciplined enough to play in Arsenal’s engine room remains to be seen, however, as he likes to be high up the pitch rather than in a deep-lying role.
Bitello has two-and-a-half years remaining on his deal at the Arena do Grêmio, so Gremio still hold all the cards in negotiations.
