Mikel Arteta given late Arthur Melo transfer hope as Juventus plans give Arsenal renewed optimism

Arsenal still have an outside chance of securing the signing of Arthur Melo from Juventus – with the Italians seemingly closing in on a new midfielder of their own.

The Gunners have endured a pretty miserable transfer window so far, missing out on top target Dusan Vlahovic. His move to Juventus was explained by his agent in a simple four-word response. But getting their hands on a new striker has continued to elude them.

With time ticking towards the deadline, Arsenal will push to secure a new striker before the window shuts.

And while they must pay the full £75m exit clause for Alexander Isak, a move for a certain former Chelsea striker does look to be a goer.

Mikel Arteta has also faced frustration so far in his efforts to bolster his midfield.

A move to sign Arthur from Juve has long been their top target. Indeed, lengthy talks with the Italian giants reportedly saw Arsenal strike an agreement to sign him on an 18-month loan – only for the deal to stall late on.

Part of that reason was down to Juve’s unwillingness to leave their own midfield options looking light.

However, we understand that Massimiliano Allegri’s side remain in the hunt to sign a new midfielder on deadline day.

And with two targets in mind, the signing of either could yet see the Gunners secure the capture of Arthur.

Juventus line up Arthur Melo replacements

Indeed, Juventus’ top target is Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

The Swiss star is available for transfer, having rejected the offer of a new deal with the Bundesliga side.

As such, he can sign a pre-contract agreement now ahead of a summer move. But Juve are looking to sign him now, paying Gladbach around £10m in order to do so.

Talks remain ongoing.

Juventus midfielder to give Arsenal central help this January

Arsenal want to bring in Arthur from Juventus to help with their midfield problems til the end of the season

Furthermore, failure to sign him could yet see the Old Lady turn to Nahitan Nandez.

The Uruguayan midfielder is a name familar to Premier League fans. Indeed, he’s reportedly under the radar of Leeds, West Ham and Tottenham.

Cagliari look unlikely to block his departure either – as long as any club matches their €25m valuation.

They would prefer to sell him abroad, that said. Still, an approach from Juventus may be launched if efforts for Zakaria draw a blank.

David Ornstein expects Arsenal transfer misery

Despite efforts to strengthen their side, The Athletic’s David Ornstein does fear a difficult end to the window for Arsenal.

“Arsenal are not close to bringing anybody in,” Ornstein told Sky Sports News, as cited by the Daily Express.

“They looked to reinforce the striker position and were prepared to throw everything at Dusan Vlahovic, it would seem, but he never seemed to want to come.

“He wanted to stay in Italy and continue breaking goalscoring records there, and he’s going to get that opportunity at Juventus.

“There were other players that Arsenal admired. Alexander Isak, who has been a target for quite some time and may continue to be heading into the summer, and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin as well.

“Arsenal tried to do a deal for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo and spent quite a lot of time on that, but it wasn’t possible in the end. Despite technical director Edu reaching some sort of agreement, the deal wasn’t sanctioned by the board.

“There is all this back and forth, exploring different avenues. I guess we cannot rule out a late move, maybe a loan, but there will be frustration for Mikel Arteta.

“Clearly they would have liked to have done more in an ideal world, but that ideal world hasn’t materialised in January.”

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