Juventus midfielder Arthur wants to play for Arsenal over Sevilla

Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo has the preference to join Arsenal over Sevilla during the ongoing transfer window, Gazzetta dello Sport (today’s edition, page 4) reports.

The Gunners are keen on pursuing a new central midfielder this month, and manager Mikel Arteta has publicly admitted the same in recent press conferences.

Arthur is reportedly one of the midfield targets for the north London giants, and it seems the Brazilian would like to play for the club over Sevilla, who are also interested.

The Bianconeri are looking to recoup funds for a new forward after Federico Chiesa’s knee injury, but it is claimed that they may not receive ‘significant revenue’ out of Arthur.

Our view:

Arthur has struggled to nail down a regular role with the Bianconeri. He has made just three Serie A starts for the club since returning from a leg surgery in September.

The 25-year-old has been out of the Brazil setup for the last 14 months, and needs to be playing regularly to boost his prospects of making the World Cup squad later this year.

The Gunners are mulling over a loan deal for his services. It has been discussed by the hierarchy, but they are yet to make a formal approach for the £22.5 million-rated star.

Arthur has exceptional distribution qualities, but he is not the best when it comes to tackling or winning aerial duels.

Hence, the Gunners could be considering him as a back-up option that they could pursue as a last resort.

With Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny away on African Cup of Nations duty, the Gunners are exceptionally short in the central midfield department at the moment.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles was recently loaned out while Granit Xhaka has been sidelined with Covid-19. Albert Sambi Lokonga is now the only specialist senior option.

The Belgian is still at the early phase of his career, and has been prone to defensive errors lately. The Gunners need to find a quick solution regardless of Xhaka’s return.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Read: Arsenal determined to sign Dusan Vlahovic despite £150m cost.