Arsenal have identified Juventus star Arthur Melo who is currently on-loan at Liverpool as a potential Youri Tielemans alternative for the summer transfer window. football.london reported in the summer of 2022, before the transfer window closed, that Arsenal were prepared to wait until Tielemans’ current contract expires to secure the Belgian on a free transfer.
With several months having passed since then, the Gunners have identified a number of options in central midfield who could join the club instead of Tielemans, with Arthur the latest to be linked. In early September, the 26-year-old was loaned to Liverpool from Juve for the remainder of the season, but injuries have seen him feature for just 76 minutes in senior fixtures.
Arthur is yet to have any impact in the Premier League for Liverpool but after undergoing surgery to fix his issues, he could still have a role to play before he returns to Italy at the end of the season and it could be the perfect Arsenal transfer audition.
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CalcioMercato claim that Arteta "really likes" Arthur and could potentially be interested in bringing him to north London in the coming windows.
This report is perhaps more of a boost to Juve than Arsenal though as they would be able to get Arthur, who seems to have no future at the club, off their books and also open up the chance for the Old Lady to sign Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Brazilian defender has received interest from Juventus before and the club still consider him to be their left-footed defensive successor to Giorgio Chiellini. The Gunners could therefore use Gabriel as a bargaining chip in a potential deal to bring Arthur to Emirates Stadium.
The Italian outlet note that Gabriel could lose his spot in the Arsenal team with the proposed arrival of Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka in the summer, which could open up a departure for the 25-year-old.
However, journalist Ryan Taylor has revealed Arteta and Edu are seeking to improve their options in defence, particularly at left centre back. Taylor told GiveMeSport: "They want another left-sided centre-back to provide cover for Gabriel.
“It’s one that’s on their agenda, but it’s not something that’s a priority at the moment because obviously they are kind of well stocked at centre-back. Ben White, who’s been playing at right-back, for instance. They’ve got [Takehiro] Tomiyasu as well who can also play at centre-back, Rob Holding, too.”
If the arrival of Ndicka prompted the departure of Gabriel, Arsenal would still be in the same position they were in prior to the two transfer deals, with only one natural option to likely partner William Saliba.
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