According to this week's Arsenal transfer news, the Gunners will lose Thomas Partey for free. However, they've now located his £83m rated replacement.
Arsenal could definitely be active in the January transfer window. The consensus is that they need to be, if Mikel Arteta it to put any form of pressure on Liverpool in this season's title race.
Arsenal did not spend massively in the summer transfer window. Therefore, there is certainly room for the Gunners to sign a player, at least, in the January transfer window. Or, could that simply be wishful thinking?
Well, rumour has it, Arsenal might have their eye on an upcoming Brazilian midfielder to replace Thomas Partey.
According to a report from Trivela, Arsenal are one of the interested clubs in signing Breno Bidon, the standout midfielder from the Corinthians team. The Gunners might face competition from Fulham.
As stated within the report, the Brazilian side have included a €100m (£83m) release clause in Bidon's contract. However, the expectation is that he could be allowed to leave for a lesser fee.
Since Bidon is a homegrown player, this increases the profit margins for Corinthians. While they do see the potential to replace him internally, they are open to signing his replacement in the same transfer window.
Over the last few seasons, Arsenal have built a strong Brazilian core. Therefore, they understand the benefits of signing players from one of the best footballing nations in the world.
However, only Gabriel Magalhaes remains as the mainstay in the Arsenal lineup. The other two Gabis (Martinelli and Jesus) have been out of form for some time now. Therefore, even in the post-Edu period, Arsenal would like to maintain their strong Brazil relations.
Thomas Partey is out of contract at the end of this campaign. As it stands, there appears to be no progress made on his extension. With that being said, Arsenal anticipate losing Partey for free at the end of this season.
Partey is a long-serving player, so losing him will be a transitional period for Arsenal. However, over the last few seasons, he has slowly found himself falling down the pecking order anyway.
Considering this and also the potential loss of Jorginho, it is clear to see why Arsenal would like to bullk up their options in this position. Bidon would be a sensible choice, as he has his entire future ahead of him.
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