Not too long ago, a bold claim from Michele Fratini, a market intermediary, emerged stating that Juventus could try and sign Charlie Patino from Arsenal and insert Moise Kean in the deal.
The young midfielder is currently on loan at Swansea, but that didn’t stop the rumour from spreading, and the same man has doubled down on his claims, this time speaking to TV Play, relayed by TuttoJuve.
Juventus’ need for a midfielder in January is well known following the bans on Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba, which is why they are working hard to get Kalvin Phillips in on loan, but the Arsenal midfielder remains a target as well.
Fratini said: “Patino? He’s kind of in everyone’s notebook, among the 50 strongest youngsters in the world. I don’t know if Rabiot will stay at Juve. Patino is left-footed like him and Giuntoli wants to bring the strongest talents around to give quality in the midfield. As for the price, the Gunners are asking for around €30m, maybe €20m fixed with €10m in bonuses.
“But Juventus have some bargaining chips, first of all Moise Kean. It’s true that his first experience in the Premier League with Everton didn’t go well, but now he is recovering and could be the striker Arsenal are looking for to complete the offensive department. Juve would like to make the lunge as early as January.”
Fratini also added that AC Milan are interested in the Arsenal youngster, but their move would likely be made in the summer rather than the next transfer window.
If you were to ask us, this seems like a rather unlikely deal to be made midway through the season, as it would mean the Gunners would have to cut the loan with Swansea short to then agree a swap deal with a player who is unlikely to want to return to England after what happened on Merseyside.
Add on top of that the fact most at Arsenal are huge fans of Patino, and the idea of him leaving the club permanently this early in his career seems far-fetched.
