Barcelona are reportedly keeping tabs on the development of Brazilian winger Artur Victor Guimaraes, who is impressing at Red Bull Bragantino.
According to a report from Fichajes, Barcelona are monitoring the progress of 23-year-old winger Artur Victor Guimaraes who plies his trade for Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino.
Artur began his footballing journey at the academies of Piaui EC and Ceara before linking up with the Palmeiras youth setup in 2015. The wide forward enjoyed a steady rise in stature through the ranks at the club, while he also had impressive loan stints away at Londrina-PR and Bahia along the way.
After making just six senior appearances for his boyhood club, Artur left for Red Bull Bragantino in January last year. The 23-year-old has quickly gone about establishing himself as a key player for the team, registering 22 goals and 23 assists from 98 games in all competitions thus far.
The versatile forward, who can play anywhere in the final third, has represented Brazil at the Under-20 and the Under-23 levels so far. He received his first call-up to the Selecao senior national team in September earlier this year but was unfortunate not to make his debut. Nonetheless, Artur’s rise in stature in Brazil hasn’t gone unnoticed, with teams from Europe casting admiring glances towards the winger.
As per the report, Barcelona are among clubs keeping track of the Brazilian winger’s progress. The Catalans have had a rich history of recruiting players from South America in recent years, with Neymar, Douglas, Marlon, Arthur Melo, Emerson Royal and Ronald Araujo being some examples.
Not all of them have enjoyed success with the Catalans. In contrast, arch-rivals Real Madrid have had much joy from their forays into the Brazilian market, with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes developing into key players at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona intend to rectify that by bringing in the best talent available in Brazil and the rest of South America.
To that end, Artur has now emerged as a transfer target for the Blaugrana. While he may not be an imposing presence physically, the 23-year-old has pace to burn and backs it up with guile and flair, making him a handful for defenders to deal with. Furthermore, his versatility would also make him an asset, especially with Barcelona looking to bolster several attacking positions in the upcoming transfer windows.
The report claims that Artur is valued at just €6 million, although Bragantino could decide to drive up that price with mounting interest in their star forward. It remains to be seen if Barcelona decide to make a move for the 23-year-old attacker in the near future.
