West Ham United are reportedly interested in Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, with the Serie A club desperate to find a buyer for the Brazilian.
According to Sportmediaset, West Ham United are interested in signing Arthur Melo, with Juventus actively looking to sell the Brazilian midfielder, a target for Arsenal, in the summer transfer window.
Juventus are at a crossroads as they look to balance the squad and get rid of some players deemed surplus to requirements. Massimiliano Allegri’s main area of concern is central midfield, as the Bianconeri have several players they do not need.
Having signed Manuel Locatelli and Denis Zakaria in the last two windows, Juventus are keen to add another top-class midfielder to their squad to strengthen their options. Frenkie de Jong is being considered, although his price tag could become a problem.
In a similar move a few years ago, Juventus signed Arthur Melo from Barcelona, hoping for the Brazilian to transform their midfield. Instead, Arthur has become surplus to requirements, and the Serie A giants have been actively looking to sell him since last January.
Arsenal came close to signing him on a loan deal in January, but a move could not materialise due to disagreements over the terms of the transfer. There are doubts about whether the Gunners could reignite their interest in Arthur, as the Bianconeri are actively looking at part-exchange deals.
Juventus have explored the idea of including Arthur in a deal to sign Thomas Partey from Arsenal, but the Gunners are uninterested in selling the Ghanaian. Recent reports have pointed towards Juventus’s interest in Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, and they looked to include Arthur in a part-exchange transfer again. But Arsenal will not sell Gabriel either, instead offering him a new contract for his impressive performances this season.
West Ham United are now interested in signing Arthur as David Moyes seeks quality reinforcements in midfield. The Hammers have a solid foundation in Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, but they want someone creative with the ball.
Arthur may fit the criteria and could look to experiment with a career in the Premier League. West Ham will be keen on exploring his cost and might submit an enquiry in the coming weeks. The Hammers have a budget to sign a new midfielder, but their primary focus will be to strengthen the defence and bring in a striker. Arthur’s preference should also be considered, as the midfielder may have different ambitions regarding his next club amid interest from Arsenal.
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West Ham are certainly an attractive prospect for any player right now. Moreover, if the Londoners qualify for the UEFA Europa League on the last day of the season, things could favour them in the transfer window. But they might need to usurp Arsenal in the race to sign Arthur from Juventus.