Arsenal have made contact with Juventus over a loan move for midfielder Arthur Melo, and are also interested in Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
The Gunners are looking to bolster their midfield during the January transfer window, with Mikel Arteta’s squad currently missing Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny who are both away at Afcon.
Arteta is keen to add a new face this month, especially after sanctioning Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ move to Roma, and talks are now intensifying.
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What is happening with Arthur?
Talks have taken place between Arsenal and Juventus over Arthur, with the Gunners exploring the option of signing him on loan until the end of the season.
The Italian club have made it known during discussions that they would be happy to strike a deal, but that nothing will happen until they find a replacement.
Juventus are interested in Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes, a player Arsenal are also believed to have been keeping tabs on, but the finances involved in doing a deal for the Brazilian this month make any transfer difficult.
Sources in Italy are confident however that Juventus will bring in a midfielder on loan, clearing the way for Arthur to leave the club for the remainder of the season.
Why Arthur?
With Partey and Elneny away on international duty and Maitland-Niles having been allowed to leave, Arsenal currently find their options very limited in midfield.
They were forced to hand 18-year-old Charlie Patino his senior debut against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with the academy product playing alongside Albert Sambi Lokonga in the absence of Granit Xhaka, who had tested positive for Covid-19.
Arteta admitted they are looking for reinforcements and Arthur is an appealing option as it would only be a loan.
Doing such a deal would then give Arsenal time to focus on more long-term targets in the summer, such as Tielemans who could be available at the end of the season.
What about Tielemans?
Arsenal are interested in the Leicester City star and have held talks with his agent about a potential move.
Tielemans has just 18 months left on his contract at King Power Stadium and is not expected to sign an extension.
Clubs across Europe are positioning themselves to land the Belgium international and Arsenal are determined to be in the mix.
Discussions have taken place with the 24-year-old’s representatives at London Colney in recent weeks to explore the situation.
It is doubtful Tielemans will go anywhere this month, with Leicester expected to keep hold of him until the end of the season as they look to convince him to sign a new deal.
Should they be unable to do so, a summer move looks likely and Arsenal believe they could be an appealing option for the midfielder, especially if they can offer him Champions League football.
