Arsenal and Liverpool have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Brazilian sensation Isaque Silva, who is set to join Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal and Liverpool were both keen on Isaque Silva. While the English giants did knock on Fluminense’s door, they have returned empty-handed as the Brazilian outfit already have an agreement in place to sell him to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal made an enquiry for Silva
According to a report from RTI Esporte, Arsenal reached out to the Brazilian club’s board in the eleventh hour and tried to hijack Shakhtar’s deal with an even higher financial offer. However, they were unable to convince Fluminense chiefs to abandon the agreement with the Ukrainian club.
Shakhtar expect the player as well as the Brazilian club to honour it. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is expected to undergo a medical at his new club on Tuesday, before the move is made official.
Liverpool were monitoring the Brazilian wonderkid
Meanwhile, a report from A Bola suggests Liverpool were also keen on signing the teenage sensation. The Reds are always on the lookout for young stars with massive potential. They consider him a top talent and were closely following his progress.
The Reds had real interest in him, as they saw a lot of similarities in him with their former star, Roberto Firmino. Scouts even suggested he could surpass the Brazilian international, who is currently playing for Al-Sadd in Qatar.
Shakhtar won the race for the teenager
While both Arsenal and Liverpool knocked on Fluminense’s door, they are a little too late. The Gunners were willing to offer a higher fee than the €12 million that Shakhtar had put on the table. However, even that wasn’t good enough to hijack the deal.
Isaque Silva has done wonders for Fluminense at the youth level. Promoted to the first team at the start of the year, he has already made 12 senior appearances and earned plaudits for his performances with the Brazilian youth team. While he could have been a great addition to the Arsenal or Liverpool squad in the long run, they might now have to wait a few more years before trying again to sign the teenage sensation.