Arsenal
TRANSFER NEWS: £40m Brazilian Has “Good Offers” From Arsenal & Tottenham
North London duo Arsenal and Tottenham have made their moves for Brazilian goal-scoring sensation Leandro Damiao, according to his agent.
Arsenal and Tottenham have made a move for the 22 year-old Brazilian striker, Leandro Damiao, his representatives have confirmed. The player has been tracked by a number of top European sides, and a Sivori & Asociados spokesman told Sky Italia:
“The big clubs wait to take player like him, to be sure that a player does well, that he can prove himself. Now Damiao has important requests: there is a good offer of Tottenham, one from Arsenal and even some Spanish clubs are sounding out Internacional.”
“It’s normal: he’s a striker born in 1989, he attracts a lot interest. It should be considered, however, that he has the non-EU passport.”
Damiao currently plays for the Brazilian club side Internacional, and has scored a brilliant 37 goals in just 45 games in 2011, helping his club to Porto Alegre State Championship and Recopa Sudamericana success.
However, despite apparent interest from Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham, a couple of rather large stumbling blocks stand in the way of any possible transfer. First of all, the young Brazilian signed a long term contract with Internacional only this summer, meaning only a massive bid of around £40 million would see him leave South America for Europe – Arsenal and Tottenham surely wouldn’t consider such a bid.
The other slight worry would be the fact that the player does not have an EU passport, meaning the club would have to apply to FIFA for a “special talent” visa to allow Damiao to work and play in the Premier League. Perhaps the North London duo’s interest in this prolific striker is simply ambitious interest and that alone.
