According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are expected to make an official move to sign Palmeiras wonderkid Luiz Benedetti amid interest from Barcelona.
The Gunners were credited with an interest in the 19-year-old over the summer. They offered to pay £8.5 million for the centre-back, but Palmeiras were reluctant to sell him for less than £13 million.
Barcelona were also mentioned as admirers, and Caught Offside now claim that the Gunners are ‘expected’ to make an ‘official’ move for the wonderkid when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been monitoring the highly-rated youngster for a long time. Arsenal see him as a physically capable alternative, who would suit the demands of the Premier League.
Potential
Arsenal invested in their central defensive department this summer with the signings of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie. The latter was signed on loan from Bayer Leverkusen on deadline day. The Gunners have an obligation to buy him next summer.
Hincapie is primarily a left-sided centre-back, while Mosquera can comfortably operate from both positions. Keeping this in mind, it appears unlikely that the Gunners will make an approach for Benedetti when the transfer window reopens in January.
The 19-year-old is a strong ball-playing defender and has completed 93% of his passes in the Brazilian top flight this season. He has won 71% of his aerial duels with his obvious height advantage (6ft 6in), while making 3.5 recoveries and 3.5 clearances per game.
Palmeiras sold Vitor Reis to Manchester City at the start of the year. The Gunners had a keen eye on the 19-year-old before his move to Manchester. Benedetti is equally talented, but a move seems unlikely unless Arsenal plan to loan him out for the next few years.
Reis has been sent on loan to City’s sister club Girona to earn experience playing in European football. Arsenal could consider a similar tactic with Benedetti if they manage to secure his services ahead of Barcelona during the winter transfer window.
Benedetti could be tempted to join with the presence of Brazilian stars such as Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus at the club. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will meet the transfer demands of Palmeiras in the New Year.