Arsenal may bid £12m for Spurs target as Arteta eyes title-winning signings

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Premier League trio Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are ready to offer £12 million for Rodrigo Becao with Serie A high-flyers Udinese struggling to tie the centre-back down to a new contract, according to Tutto Udinese. 

It seems like the doubters are just waiting for hamstrings to go twang. For ankles to creak. A couple of injuries, they say, and Arsenal’s title charge will fall apart like a house of cards in a hurricane.  

You can see their point, of course. The Gunners certainly can’t compete with Manchester City, as far as strength in depth is concerned, with recent cup defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and PSV Eindhoven highlighting the drop-off between Arteta’s first XI and his back-up options. 

The January transfer window, then, could represent a key juncture in Arsenal’s pursuit of a first Premier League crown since the ‘Invincibles’ of ‘04.

“We have to try to utilise the squad in the best possible way,” Arteta pointed out last week, after Brighton ran riot in North London. “We know where we are. (And) we knew the moment we had certain injuries that the squad is already very, very short.” 

Could Rodrigo Becao leave Serie A for Arsenal in January transfer window?

The centre of defence is hardly the area of Arsenal’s squad that screams out for reinforcement, however. William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Rob Holding are all at Arteta’s disposal. Kieran Tierney can also drop into a back-three on occasions.

According to Tutto Udinese, however, Becao remains still a target. Arsenal, Everton and local rivals Tottenham, the report says, are ‘willing to put 15 million euros (£12m) on the plate’. Udinese, one of Serie A’s surprise packages, are holding out for £17 million. 

The problem is, however, that Becao is out of contract in less than two years’ time. Talks over an extension are dragging on too; the 26-year-old Brazilian holding out for a pay rise that would put him in line with Udinese’s highest earners. 

Standing at 6ft 3ins, the late-blooming, right-footed Becao is a colossal presence in both boxes. He’s aggressive, likes to defend high up the pitch, and uses his telescopic limbs to very good effect.