Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Porto midfielder Fabio Vieira, football.london understands.
The Gunners have been tracking the Portugal under-21 international for some time and have now agreed on a €40 million (£34 million) fee with Porto. This is lower than Vieira's release clause which is thought to be at around £42 million as Arsenal seek to take advantage of the Portuguese outfit's ongoing financial struggles.
The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this summer but a move to the Emirates Stadium appears imminent after a season that saw him net seven goals and provide a further 16 assists.
READ MORE: Who is Fabio Vieira? The £34m-rated starlet who is 'flying to London' to agree Arsenal transfer
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the talented playmaker will sign a five-year deal with the north Londoners, with the fee said to be €35million (£30million) upfront and a potential €5million (£4million) of add-ons. The report goes on to say that the signing of the diminutive midfielder was driven by manager Mikel Arteta, who is a huge admirer of the versatile starlet.
Vieira has an extremely promising future ahead of him if comments from Portugal Under-21 boss Rui Jorge are to be believed. Speaking about Vieira last year, Jorge said: “Fabio had a good game.
"He is a very technically advanced player, he is good at defining, but he needs to improve some aspects of his game in order to become a full-fledged player. He knows this and will work on these aspects. Fabio has a great future if he sees fit. I think he wants to be the player he can be. I believe that we can meet a great player."
The Porto youngster would become Arsenal's third summer transfer, with the signing for Marquinhos having been completed this week and a deal for American goalkeeper Matt Turner set to be finalised towards the end of this month.
Arsenal fans - how much of a big signing would Fabio Vieira be and will he improve Mikel Arteta's midfield? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments section below!
