Arsenal want Juventus playmaker Arthur Melo and the Serie A ace was ‘close’ to joining the Premier League giants during the January transfer window, his agent Federico Pastorello tells La Repubblica.
We’re reaching that time of year when the World Cup starts to enter the minds of players struggling for opportunities at club level.
And, when you consider that Arthur has played just once for the Brazilian national team since the beginning of 2021, you can understand why the former Barcelona ace is starting to get itchy feet with Tite’s Selecao due to kick off their tournament against Serbia in Qatar six months from now.
The fact that Arthur was left out of Max Allegri’s starting XI for Wednesday’s 4-2 Coppa Italia final defeat to Inter Milan highlights the problem facing the 25-year-old in Turin.
Even in a Juventus side struggling to control games and stamp their authority over weaker opposition in the centre of the park, a player they spent £61 million on less than two years ago remains little more than an expensive afterthought.
Juventus’ Arthur nearly joined Arsenal
“In January, he was close to Arsenal,” explains Pastorello. “He is too important a player to be marginalised. He must also think about the national team.
“With (former Juve boss Maurizio) Sarri he would have played (the) Jorginho (role). But while Allegri likes him, he wants two physical midfielders.”
Arthur has started just 11 Serie A games this season. And, as Pastorello points out, ‘it is not in anyone’s interest to continue in this situation’.
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The implication being, if Arsenal renew their interest and are willing to offer Arthur regular first-team football at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s engine room, the chance to kick-start his career in North London may be too good to turn down.
TMW reported back in January that Arthur had agreed to join Arsenal on an initial loan deal, only for Allegri to ki-bosh the move later in the month.
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