Arsenal fear they could lose out on Brazilian star as Edu learns of rival interest
Filipe Luis, Flamengo player, competes with Bitello, Gremio player
Arsenal could lose on out Brazilian playmaker Bitello as the 23-year-old is attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia and Turkey.
The Gunners enjoyed a busy summer transfer window in the end with the additions of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and David Raya.
While the Premier League transfer window might have closed, Arsenal are still keeping tabs on some of their targets from the summer as they could launch a bid in the future.
Back in July, Mikel Arteta’s side were first linked with Bitello. The 23-year-old has impressed in Brazil for Gremio and by all accounts, Edu is said to be a fan of the midfielder.
The Gunners have had some great success in the Brazilian market of late and this would be another example of their South American scouting network.
Although the Gunners opted against signing the midfielder this summer, they have kept an active watch on him according to 90min.
Arsenal could be tempted to sign the midfielder in January, although they will have been made aware of a recent development with the Brazilian star.
According to the same report, Bitello is now attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia and Turkey. As clubs from those countries are still able to sign players, Arsenal will be on red alert.
The report does suggest that a move to Saudi Arabia would be ‘unlikely’ at this stage, although a move to Russia or Turkey could still be on the cards.
Gremio manager drops transfer hint
Bitello’s contract with Gremio runs until the end of 2025. Arsenal had been tipped to sign the midfielder for just £7m this summer, but the move didn’t materialise in the end.
It’s easy to see why the Gunners would be interested in a player like Bitello. During the 2023 campaign for Gremio the midfielder has scored eight goals and has produced five assists across all competitions.
The 23-year-old did miss Gremio’s latest game, although head coach Renato Portaluppi did confirm that this was injury-related and not because he has agreed terms with another club.
Despite Portaluppi providing some clarity on the situation, he did drop an interesting transfer hint as he stressed the transfer window has not yet closed in every country.
“I’ve been talking a lot with Bitello,” Portaluppi told reporters. “He complained of muscle pain on Wednesday and Thursday. It would be too risky for us to bring him into the game.
“I can count on him. I always count. He’s an important player, he knows that. I talk to him almost daily. You said that the window has closed, closed for some countries. Not all.”
Arsenal will no doubt keep a close eye on the situation as they consider whether or not to go back in for the midfielder in January.
