Arsenal are seriously looking for a midfielder in this transfer window. Mikel Arteta needs to replace Ainsley Maitland-Niles after he joined AS Roma last week. The Arsenal manager spoke during his press conference last Friday and was very clear on the matter. "We are going to move and we are going to look for options because we are very short there", he said. Arsenal are currently looking for options outside the Premier League with Bruno Guimaraes as one of the names that emerged but Lyon are currently asking above 40M euros, with Juventus also interested.
Arsenal will definitely go for a new midfielder. Arthur has been discussed internally as reported here days ago, he’s in board/Arteta list together with 2 more candidates - but it’s not advanced with Juventus yet. 🔴🇧🇷 #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2022
Bruno Guimarães in January, more than difficult. ⤵️ https://t.co/LvVjjWnCF5
For this reason, as reported by CBS Sports soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, one of the names discussed internally at the club was Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo. The Brazilian was one of the stars of the Copa Libertadores in 2017 with Gremio, where he was the best player of the tournament. Barcelona brought him to Europe for around €40 million, add-ons included. His move to Barcelona certainly progressed his career, even if he didn't quite hit the heights that some had hoped for. In the summer of 2020 Arthur was involved in a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic and Juventus. The Italian club paid him €72 million, with another ten of potential add-ons in the agreement. Barcelona, at the same time, paid €60 million plus five of potential adds on to get Pjanic playing in Spain.
In Italy, Arthur has played 43 games so far, with one goal scored. Both with Andrea Pirlo on the bench first, and now with Massimiliano Allegri, Arthur has never been a key player or a regular starter. Only in the last few weeks he has played a little more, but he has always been considered a player ready to leave the Bianconeri in January. Arsenal are currently offering a loan and Juventus would likely need to first find a replacement given that their injuries are piling up and they don't have that manyalternatives in the midfield. The club is currently looking for a striker after Federico Chiesa's injury who will be out until the end of the season. So Arthur moving to Arsenal would also mean that Juventus will also need to find a new midfielder this month. The next few weeks will tell us which is the real priority for Massimiliano Allegri and the club, with sport director Federico Cherubini already working to find options.
