FC Basel are ‘prepared’ for the departure of Arthur Cabral amid interest from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and West Ham United, owner David Degen tells Tuttomercatoweb.
Upon replacing Christopher Eccleston in Russel T Davies’ Doctor Who reboot, David Tennant admitted that he was feeling the pressure (Guardian).
How on earth do you step into the shoes of someone so loved, so iconic, even if Eccleston’s Tardis reign was a short one?
One would assume that Arthur Cabral has similar feelings with the Brazilian goal-machine lined up to succeed the talismanic Dusan Vlahovic at Fiorentina.
Vlahovic is following in the footsteps of Roberto Baggio, Federico Bernardeschi and Federico Chiesa, swapping La Viola for their bitter rivals from the north.
Juventus have agreed a £62 million fee for the most feared marksmen in the whole of Italian football (Sky).
And, according to Fabrizio Romano, Cabral is Fiorentina’s ideal replacement. A bid in the region of £13.5 million was submitted on Tuesday.
Will Arthur Cabral replace Juventus-bound Dusan Vlahovic?
Remarkably, Cabral has actually scored more goals this season than Vlahovic. 27 in 31 games. Unsurprisingly, Fiorentina are not the only interested party.
TEAMtalk say that Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal – three clubs in desperate need for attacking reinforcements – are all interested.
As are Southampton, Everton and a Brighton side who appear to be one prolific centre-forward away from smashing through the glass ceiling.
Newcastle, meanwhile, scouted the £17 million-rated Cabral before bringing in Chris Wood from relegation rivals Burnley.
“Cabral away in January? I don’t know if he will leave or not,” explains Degen, a former Basel player and now owner.
“There will be an exit only if there is an agreement between both parties. But I can reassure everyone that, in case of departure, we are prepared.
“We have been working for weeks and months on a possible replacement should that situation arise ”
Cabral came close to a Premier League switch in the summer of 2020. Leeds United offered £14 million but the deal fell apart due to work permit concerns.
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