Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo is reportedly keen on joining Arsenal, with an 18-month loan deal being worked out.
According to Transfer Market Web, Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Arthur Melo. The Juventus midfielder is desperate to arrive at the Emirates in the ongoing January transfer window, with his agent recently visiting North London to broker a potential loan deal.
Recent reports had suggested that Juventus have no intention of offloading Arthur in the mid-season window. But it appears the player is determined to force through a transfer to the Emirates. His agent and Arsenal are already in negotiations regarding an 18-month loan deal with a possible right to redemption coming into effect only after the spell comes to an end.
The new deal is favoured by Juventus, who are now seriously considering sanctioning a loan exit for Arthur. The Brazilian has not had the best of starts to his career in Italy so far, having struggled with a lack of form and game-time since his move from FC Barcelona in the summer of 2020.
Even in the ongoing campaign, the former Gremio starlet has fallen behind Manuel Locatelli and Rodrigo Bentancur in the pecking order. It has restricted his overall game-time to just over 300 minutes of league football. Arthur’s struggles at Juventus have not deterred Arsenal, though, as the North London giants remain keen on bringing in midfield reinforcements in January.
With Ainsley Maitland-Niles leaving on loan to AS Roma and Granit Xhaka struggling for form, Mikel Arteta is seemingly desperate to add more options in the middle of the park. He primarily wants to find an ideal midfield partner for Thomas Partey, and that is where Arthur Melo could prove to be an excellent option for Arsenal, given his creativity and technical prowess.
Other than the Brazilian, Arsenal have identified other options as well, including Yves Bissouma. The Brighton & Hove Albion star, though, is set to be a much costlier target given his immense success in the Premier League.
Arthur, to that end, is a more logical, low-risk alternative, as the player looks to redeem himself at Arsenal after a disastrous spell in Serie A. However, the deal is far from done, and it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes shape in the coming days.
(Featured image courtesy of Kirill Venediktov/Wikimedia)
