Arsenal are on the hunt for a new midfielder this summer with Wolves ace Ruben Neves reported to be the Gunners' top target. But they are not the only member of the so-called big six who will be looking to bolster that area as Manchester City legend Fernandinho confirmed he would be leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer.
The Brazilian will have spent nine years with the club come the end of the season, moving from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013. In the time since, he has won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup and six Carabao Cups. City have been linked with a number of high-profile midfield stars ahead of the summer including Declan Rice.
The past couple of campaigns have seen Fernandinho's game time diminish slightly, with Pep Guardiola turning to Rodri instead on a more regular basis. This season has seen the 36-year-old appear just 13 times in the Premier League and it is easy to see why he feels the time is right to move on.
Ahead of City's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, Fernandinho confirmed his decision, telling a pre-match press conference: "I will go back to Brazil. I decided with my family, which is the most important for me." It was a moment that Guardiola admitted surprised him.
While there is seemingly little chance of Arteta tempting him to the Emirates Stadium, it is interesting to look back at the comments made by Fernandinho on the Arsenal boss. Despite leading the Gunners into a battle for top-four, Arteta continues to divide opinion, but to the City icon, the Spaniard's qualities were obvious during his time learning under Pep Guardiola.
He said back in 2018, as cited by onefootball: "One of the positive things about Pep is that he is so close with his staff - they support him in every situation, and we as players have huge contact with them.
"For me, especially Mikel Arteta, because he played in the same position as I play. So sometimes I have private chats with him to correct some positioning or something that is wrong.
"All the people are behind Pep and it is fantastic. That is why we are a very good team, it’s not just the players and the manager, but also the staff. Mikel has helped to improve me a lot this season, with his advice."
