Transfer News: Arsenal keen on Corinthians wonderkid Maycon

Arsenal are reportedly keen on Corinthians wonderkid Maycon, who is likely to be available for a fee around the £9 million mark.

According to The Sun, Arsenal are interested in Brazilian wonderkid Maycon. The prodigious Corinthians star has been monitored by Arsenal for quite a while. And the report suggests Corinthians could be willing to part with their gem, if a bid in the region of £9 million is tabled by any of the suitors, with Napoli and few others also keen on the midfielder.

Maycon joined Corinthians in 2009 as a promising kid and has since progressed at a rapid pace. Once a full of promise and potential, the player is now a regular for Corinthians and has become one of the most highly-rated youngsters not just in Latin America but the entirety of the footballing world.

While Napoli and others do seem to be following Maycon closely, Arsenal’s interest in the player does seem to make sense. The 20-year-old is a central midfielder, who is equally adept at playing as a holding midfielder while also having the ability to take the field as a marauding playmaker.

But, it is his ability to play from the deep that could be one of the main reasons for Arsenal’s interest. The Gunners have long been looking to add to their options in the pivot. Arsene Wenger had opted for the pairing of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey while the latter’s injury seems to have seen Jack Wilshere take his spot.

But, neither of those players are genuine holding midfielders while Granit Xhaka hasn’t set the stage alight at Arsenal and is not really considered to be the answer to the Gunners’ need for a holding midfielder.

Arsenal were linked to Leon Goretzka and Jean-Michael Seri. But, while the former has agreed to join Bayern Munich on a free transfer in the summer, Seri seems to be heading towards Manchester currently, with only United and City being named as suitors for the player.

According to the report, Arsenal have scouted the player several times over the last few years, with the scouts sending back glittering reports.

The Sun quotes a source, “Arsenal are very interested in Maycon. He has been watched a fair amount for more than a year. They have been impressed and he has a promising future. He is not really a player for now. There could be issues with getting him a visa. It would take a lot of work behind the scenes to get sorted. Arsenal have other priorities, so it could be one that happens in the summer, rather than now.”

While we do not know the source that the Sun quotes, the statements do make sense. For one, there would be issues with getting a work permit for the player while, even if Maycon does end up arriving, he is likely to be eased into the first-team setup in the space of months or perhaps a season or two.

This is also in line with reports that, while Corinthians are ready to do business for a fee around £9 million, they are also likely to ask Maycon to be loaned back. This looks like a deal that could be completed by Arsenal, albeit in the summer.