According to TyC Sports, Arsenal are closely monitoring Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni ahead of a possible move during the winter transfer window.
The Gunners parted ways with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli last summer, but made just one forward signing in Christos Tzolis to replace the duo in the left wing department.
Arsenal are bound to pursue another solution next year and TyC Sports claim that they are closely keeping tabs on Prestianni, who has made 18 goal contributions in just 20 matches for Benfica this season.
The Gunners are one of several clubs including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain tracking him, and it is claimed that a winter transfer could be a possibility, given the Argentine’s tremendous displays.
Benfica have a £84 million release clause attached to the player’s contract and it is reported that a transfer could potentially see the Portuguese outfit fetch close to that price at the start of the year.
This would benefit financially-hit Velez Sarsfield, who could pocket £17m from a £84m sale this winter.
Unlikely
Prestianni was known for the wrong reasons during the final phase of last season. He was deemed guilty of making homophobic comments towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius and was suspended for six matches by FIFA after UEFA’s verdict.
The Argentine has since returned and caught the eye with his on-field displays. In the current campaign, he has mustered 12 goals and 6 assists primarily from the left wing. He has completed 3 dribbles per game with 7.5 duels won.
The 20-year-old has also excelled with his recoveries, tireless work rate and high pressing. Despite all this, Arsenal are unlikely to make a staggering bid for the winger, who has yet to prove his credentials in one of Europe’s top-five leagues.
Tzolis, for example, made a staggering 52 goal contributions for Club Brugge last campaign. He was signed by the Gunners for £34 million last summer, and has managed only 4 assists thus far and has yet to find the back of the net.
Hence, Prestianni’s output should not be taken into greater context. The Premier League is levels above the Portuguese top-flight and Viktor Gyokeres is an example, who has failed to replicate his Primeira Liga numbers in England.
Gyokeres netted a sensational 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP, but has just 23 goals in 69 outings for the Gunners.
Hence, we don’t feel Arsenal will enter the race for Prestianni. They could instead focus on someone like RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa, who has 14 goal involvements this term and recently scored against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Nusa has developed his skills after a mixed 2025/26 season at Leipzig and would be a fine acquisition.
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