According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, Arsenal are accelerating their interest in signing Sporting youngster Joelson Fernandes.
It’s claimed that Sporting want to give Joelson a new contract, in the hope of keeping him at the club for years to come.
Sporting considered increasing his release clause from €45million to €100million, but Joelson and his representatives don’t want to go any higher than €80million.
Arsenal allegedly backed away from Joelson but have now returned in recent weeks. They wanted to know where Joelson was at in terms of a new contract.
It seems unlikely that Arsenal currently have the funds to pull off a deal for the Portuguese talent. The global pandemic has hit their budget, and they need to be a little more frugal.
If Arsenal can clear the decks and bring in some cash, Joelson may become a top target again – and he would certainly be an exciting addition.
The 17-year-old wide man predominantly plays on the left flank, and has hit five goals and two assists in 28 games for Sporting’s Under-23’s this season.
With skill, pace and trickery, Joelson is a dangerous winger with a huge future ahead of him, and Arsenal could view him as their left winger of the future.
For now, they’re back in the race and hoping to pounce, but given the numbers being talked about, it may be a difficult deal to pull off this summer.
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