Arsenal have joined the race to sign £67 million centre-back Diego Carlos after the Sevilla stopper turned down a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool, according to El Desmarque.
Could Mikel Arteta succeed where Jurgen Klopp failed and lure a late-blooming Brazilian to English shores?
Carlos is just the latest rough diamond unearthed and polished by the famed talentspotter Monchi, and it seems only a matter of time before Sevilla make a substantial profit on a player they snapped up from Nantes last year.
That is just what the wheelers and dealers of Andalusia do.
The 27-year-old has a £67 million release clause in his contract, although the La Liga outfit may be tempted to listen to a substantially smaller fee amid football’s ongoing financial crisis.
According to El Desmarque, Arsenal have shown an interest, with Carlos the latest defensive talent who has been linked with a summer move to the Gunners, following in the footsteps of Dayot Upamecano, Axel Disasi, Jonathan Tah and more.
The same publication claimed that the former Sao Paulo man rejected the chance to join Liverpool in January as he wanted to wait until the end of the 2019/20 campaign before making a decision on his future.
“I was to leave Sevilla, I would only go to join a much bigger club,” Carlos recently told Mucho Deporte, in comments that should give Arsenal hope that a deal can be done.
Interestingly, Carlos is the latest in a host of Brazilian footballers who have been linked with the London giants since former Samba international Edu Gaspar returned to the club to become their new technical director.
Carlos also is part of the same TFM Agency who worked with Edu during the deal to bring wonderkid Gabriel Martinelli to the Emirates almost a year ago.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
