Premier League giants Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Arthur Melo from Serie A giants Juventus on loan in the January transfer window, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
This would not be the first time the Gunners have delved into the winter market to sign a player on a short-term deal.
Their track record when it comes to January loanees, however, is more mixed than John Travolta’s filmography.
If Martin Odegaard is Arsenal’s Pulp Fiction, then Denis Suarez was their Battlefield Earth. Kim Kallstrom, meanwhile, is remembered in North London more for a fractured vertebrae rather than anything he did on a football pitch.
The jury will remain out on Arthur, then, as Arsenal edge ever closer to securing the ball-playing Brazil international.
Can Juventus’s Arthur Melo be re-born at Arsenal?
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arteta has made Arthur one of his top priorities. Especially after Bruno Guimaraes, the club’s other deep-lying midfield target, expressed a desire to stay at Lyon for the time being.
Arsenal held talks regarding a move for Arthur on Wednesday morning. RMC Sport, meanwhile, believe that negotiations between the two clubs are now at an ‘advanced’ stage.
It is four years now since Barcelona signed Arthur from Brazilian outfit Gremio, the then-21-year-old tipped to fill a Xavi Hernandez shaped void at the Camp Nou.
It is impossible to escape the feeling, however, that Arthur has actually declined since his impressive debut season in Catalonia.
Will Juventus sell?
A £72 million move to Juventus – one which saw Miralem Pjanic go in the other direction – has not worked out particularly well for anyone involved in one of the most bizarre deals in modern European history.
A combination of injuries and poor form have restricted Arthur to just three Serie A starts all season.
At just 25, however, Arthur has plenty of time on his side. And he will arrive at Arsenal with a point to prove, like Odegaard before him.
“He is very similar to Xavi,” one-time Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi said during their time together in Spain. “As he likes to have the ball, play short and not lose it.
“He is very solid and he surprised me.
“Arthur has the style we have here at Barcelona. Barcelona fans like players who are good with the ball at their feet.”
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