Arsenal very close to signing Gremio midfielder Bitello
Arsenal are on the cusp of signing Gremio midfielder Bitello, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.
The north London giants have been busy in this summer’s transfer window. They have already signed Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice for a combined £211 million.
Aside from Rice, manager Mikel Arteta also views Havertz as a midfield option for next season, but it appears the club are now closing in on another midfield acquisition.
TuttoMercatoWeb reveal that the Gunners will close the deal for Gremio’s Bitello this week.
They will buy the 23-year-old for £6.85m. The club have received a small discount on the price tag. Gremio initially requested £8.57m for the versatile Brazilian.
Bitello on his way to Arsenal
Arsenal are no strangers to signing players from Brazilian teams. Gabriel Martinelli was signed from Ituano back in 2019. He has proved to be a huge hit for the club.
Pablo Mari also joined the Gunners from Flamengo in 2020, but he struggled to make a significant impact. He recently made the permanent move to Monza.
Similarly, Marquinhos has yet to find his feet since his arrival from Sao Paulo last summer. He spent the second half of last season on loan with Norwich City.
The Gunners are now on the verge of landing Bitello. He is a very versatile player, who can play anywhere in the midfield as well as on the right side of the attack.
This season, he has seven goals and four assists from 35 outings for Gremio. He has predominantly played from the right wing for the Porto Alegre side.
Bitello has been hugely impressive with his defensive contributions as well. He has won a stunning 1.8 tackles and 6.9 duels per game for Gremio in Serie A.
Despite this, the versatile ace is unproven at the top level. This is currently his first-ever season in the Brazilian top-flight. He is relatively inexperienced.
In our view, he could be signed to provide back-up, particularly on the right flank for Bukayo Saka.
However, there are doubts whether he would be granted a UK work permit, given he is not an exceptional young talent and has not played for Brazil at any level.
If Arsenal are unsuccessful in getting an approval, they could send him on loan next term.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
