The summer transfer window is in full swing and while Arsenal are yet to unveil any major signings, the Gunners have all but wrapped up one lovely deal. That player is Fabio Vieira, the highly-rated Portuguese midfielder who is set to join the north London giants from Porto for the 2022/23 season.
Arteta's side, out of the blue, agreed a deal with the Portuguese champions for the playmaker and quickly wrapped up his medical, with Vieira arriving at London Colney the following day. After that was completed, the focus quickly shifted to Arsenal's next target and who the manager intends of recruiting after the former Dragons ace.
Initially, it was reported that all focus and energy was going into the Gabriel Jesus deal. The UEFA Europa League side, despite missing out on a top four finish and UEFA Champions League football, appear to have struck an agreement with Manchester City's Brazilian striker, with the two teams simply needing to agree on a fee. However, despite this, Arsenal look to have agreed a deal for another highly-rated Selecao sensation from the Premier League and it's not Jesus.
According to Goal, that man is none other than Raphinha. The Leeds sensation has been linked with a move for quite some time, with Barcelona, Arsenal, and Tottenham all being touted with interest. The Blaugrana are said to have agreed personal terms with the winger but hit a stumbling block when trying to negotiate a fee with the West Yorkshire club.
His Premier League employers want €50M (roughly $53M) for the 25-year-old. This fee is unattainable right now for the Catalan giants due to their financial crisis, with Xavi's side needing to sell a few players, namely Frenkie de Jong, in order to even be able to pull off this deal.
Raphinha, meanwhile, does not want to wait on the Spanish giants as a Camp Nou move would hinge on several other factors. Adrià Soldevila, who wrote the piece for Goal, claims that Arsenal have taken advantage of Barcelona's struggles and have swooped in with a significant offer for the former Rennes ace.
The article states that Arteta's side have taken the lead and should nothing drastic occur, the Brazilian will be an Arsenal player this week. Is there any legitimacy to this claim or is this an attempt from the player's agent to inject urgency into Barcelona's pursuit? Only time will tell, but what is certain is the player's ability and the desire from the Gunners and its fan base to see him at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite wanting an additional midfielder and defender this summer, namely Leicester's Youri Tielemans and Ajax's Lisandro Martinez, the north London giants are in need of reinforcement out wide. Bukayo Saka enjoyed the 2021/22 season but between Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe, the club struggled to enjoy such dominance on the other wing. While Raphinha typically plays on the right, which is Saka's position, the Brazilian is also capable on the left and can offer competition for Arsenal's young English attacker.
