Ibrahima Bamba’s agent has played down rumours that the defender is on the verge of completing a move to Arsenal, though refused to rule out business being done before the transfer window shuts.
Reports in Portugal suggested that Filipe Macedo Alves had flown to London to finalise an ‘imminent’ deal for the Vitoria Guimaraes defensive midfielder, with Mikel Arteta already confirming his desire to bring in a player in that position before the end of the month.
Bamba has been a regular for the Portuguese side this season, having signed a professional contract with Vitoria 12 months ago.
That included a €30m release clause and the 20-year-old, who can play in midfield or in the centre of defence, is already attracting interest across Europe.
However, while his agent Alves confirmed that he was recently in the UK, he insisted it was natural for him to travel to keep tabs on the various players he represents.
“It’s true that I was in London, but I am just arriving from Germany, where I was watching Edmond Tapsoba’s game,” Alves told O Jogo. “Bamba is not the only player I work with.
“He’s a player profile that is clearly of interest to many clubs, but today he is a Vitória player and is only focused on Monday’s game in Chaves. The market is open, but I’m not going to feed rumours.”
