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Arsenal need to make ‘very good bid’ to sign Pablo Maia

Arsenal need to make a ‘very good bid’ to sign Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia during the January transfer window, according to Gazeta Esportiva.

The Gunners are likely to pursue a defensive midfielder next month and they have already been linked with plenty of names including Everton’s Amadou Onana.

Earlier this week, Maia was also mentioned as a target for the north London giants, but Gazeta Esportiva claim that Sao Paulo are not looking to sell him this winter.

The Brazilian heavyweights only recently sold Lucas Beraldo to Paris Saint-Germain for €20 million and they have also secured naming rights for their stadium.

Hence, they are not in desperate need for funds. It is reported that only a ‘very good bid’ would persuade them to sell their prized asset to Arsenal in January.

Maia would be a quality deputy for Declan Rice

Arsenal currently have a strong and settled starting line-up, but manager Mikel Arteta will want to add more quality and depth in the squad for the season run-in.

Maia would be a good acquisition in our opinion. He is only 21 years of age and has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in Brazilian football.

In the recent league campaign, the 5ft 10in ace had an impressive passing accuracy of 90 per cent with an average of two tackles and nearly four duels won per game.

He also made 6.3 ball recoveries on average and lost possession on just seven occasions per outing. He has good potential but Sao Paulo may not sell him on the cheap.

Judging by Gazeta Esportiva’s report, the Brazilian outfit are most likely to hold out for a higher fee than what Les Parisiens paid to purchase Beraldo earlier this week.

Stats from Sofascore.com

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