According to A Bola, Kia Joorabchian will be with an Arsenal delegation travelling to Lisbon to thrash out a deal for Sporting winger Joelson Fernandes.
It’s claimed that these are ‘decisive hours’ for Joelson, as an Arsenal delegation is heading to Lisbon inside the next 24 hours.
The aim is to close the transfer that would see Joelson head to North London, and his agent Joorabchian is a key factor here.
Joorabchian has strong links to the Arsenal hierarchy, and his presence with the Gunners delegation suggests he is pushing for a deal.
Arsenal still allegedly plan to pay the €45million (£41million) release clause for Joelson, but talks may well start with Arsenal trying to negotiate that down a little.
The 17-year-old looks to have a bright future, but paying such a huge fee for him does seem like a gamble right now.
Joelson has played just four senior games for Sporting, but Arsenal do need a left winger to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to play up top.
A Bola have been adamant about Arsenal’s interest over the last week, and these latest reports suggest that talks are advancing – though it still feels unlikely that Arsenal would pay such an enormous fee for the teenager.
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