Arsenal transfer news
Danilo Santos to Arsenal: Gunners open talks for Brazil star Danilo Santos
Danilo Santos to Arsenal: Arsenal are looking at a serious midfield shake-up. While everyone has been looking at Newcastle‘s Bruno Guimaraes, Mikel Arteta has quietly gone after another Brazilian target. This one is already quite familiar to Premier League fans.
Reports from O Dia, via Sport Witness, indicate that the north London club have spent months laying the groundwork for Botafogo midfielder Danilo Santos. GiveMeSport supports this, confirming that Arsenal have established direct contact with the player’s camp.
It is a fascinating move. The 25-year-old is not a new face in England, having spent two and a half years with Nottingham Forest before returning to his homeland in 2025. Right now, Botafogo value him at around £30m. Transfermarkt had him pegged at €32m back in May. The Brazilian club are sitting tight, waiting for teams to put real money on the table now that the World Cup has wrapped up.
The timing of it all is a bit awkward for his current club. Santos made Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the tournament in the United States, but he barely got a look-in. 44 minutes. That is all he managed across five substitute appearances. Then Norway knocked Brazil out in the Round of 16. Botafogo wanted a stellar tournament to inflate his price tag. That simply did not happen.
Why Arteta wants the Botafogo man
Back in South America, his form has been brilliant. During the 2026 Série A campaign, Santos has managed seven goals and two assists in just 1,071 minutes on the pitch. That has earned him a stellar 7.47 average FotMob rating. Since July 2025, his overall record stands at 10 goals and six assists in 38 games. Brilliant numbers for a defensive midfielder.
Arsenal desperately need this sort of reinvention in the middle of the park. Their current options look thin. Mikel Merino spent huge chunks of the season on the treatment table, forcing Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi to overextend themselves week after week. Meanwhile, Christian Nørgaard is 32, out of contract in 2027, and managed fewer than 500 minutes across all competitions this year.
Santos offers total versatility. He is comfortable anywhere across the central midfield trio. He is left-footed, exceptionally aggressive when transitions happen, and he has developed a real eye for goal since leaving the City Ground.
Other clubs are sniffing around too. Manchester United have held direct talks with Botafogo, according to Sports Mole, though those discussions might lead nowhere. United seem completely focused on a £50m deal for Chelsea’s Andrey Santos instead. That could clear the runway for Arsenal.
Read: Man Utd complete £50m transfer of Chelsea midfielder
Botafogo are under zero pressure to sell cheaply. The player’s contract at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos runs until June 2029. They want to see if the recent World Cup interest turns into concrete paperwork. Arsenal have already had a £60m bid for Guimaraes knocked back by Newcastle, but they are not giving up on that front either. Bringing in both Guimaraes and Santos for a combined £90m would totally transform Arteta’s options. Whether he actually needs both of them is a completely different debate. Talks are very much alive.
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