Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with a transfer of Arthur Melo this week – and it’s apparently reaching a positive conclusion for one of them.
The Juventus midfielder appears to be extremely on Arsenal’s radar, while TMW reported on Thursday that the Brazilian had been offered to their North London rivals, Tottenham.
According to The Daily Mail, Arthur himself is keen to sign for the Gunners, not the Lilywhites.
And Globo Esporte has claimed this morning that Arthur will meet with Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri today to ask to greenlight his January transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
The report has added that Edu – who knows his compatriot personally – has recommended the midfielder to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Another Xavi?
As mentioned, Arthur is a midfielder, but a certain Lionel Messi compared the former Barcelona player to the midfielder.
The Camp Nou outfit signed the 21-time Brazil international in 2018 and Messi said at the time he was more impressed by Arthur than any other signing that year.
Having been compared to Xavi, one of the game’s all-time great midfielders, Arthur has big boots to fill and considering Juve are willing to offload him for £29 million – £37 million less than what was paid in 2020 – probably indicates he hasn’t proven successful in Italy.
However, Arsenal’s Arteta is one of football’s most exciting young coaches and having been a midfielder himself, might well help reignite Arthur’s career and remind Europe that he’s a brilliant player.
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