Arsenal ‘insist’ on signing player on ‘precise instructions’ of Arteta – ‘Imminent farewell’ from club possible

On Friday morning, we covered claims made by TuttoMercatoWeb that Arthur Melo has ‘said yes’ to joining Arsenal in the winter market.

Globo Esporte then explained the Juventus midfielder is optimistic a move to the north London club will take shape this month.

The Gunners are keen on securing the 25-year-old’s services, so much so that they ‘insist’ on his signing on the ‘precise instructions’ of their manager, Mikel Arteta.

That’s according to Turin newspaper Tuttosport, who explain the ‘imminent farewell’ of the Brazilian is ‘possible’, but ‘not yet taken for granted’. That’s because the Serie A side want to bring in a replacement first before letting the former Barcelona man move to the Emirates.

Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek is one of the targets for the Turin club, but the Blues are posing the ‘main obstacle’ as they are reluctant to let their players leave midway through the season.

Juventus also like Lyon’s Bruno Guimarães, but signing the Brazilian means he will occupy one of the non-EU slots in the squad. This would block any potential arrival of Zenit Saint Petersburg’s Sardar Azmoun [Iranian] or Valencia’s Uruguayan forward, Maxi Gómez.

Therefore, the Old Lady are looking at other options, which include Lille’s Renato Sanches or Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

With Arthur saying yes to Arsenal and Arteta’s side insisting on his arrival, Juve must first sign a replacement first before letting their own player join the Gunners.