Hamburger SV have reached a full agreement to sign Fabio Vieira on an initial loan with an option to buy worth more than £17m, according to a report.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Fabio Vieira of Arsenal looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium on August 07, 2024. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
On Sunday night, German outlet Kicker reported that as well as Albert Sambi Lokonga, Hamburg were also planning to sign Fabio Vieira from Arsenal.
Lokonga is joining the Bundesliga club on a permanent transfer, but the expectation for Vieira was that he’d be joining on an initial loan deal.
Florian Plettenberg reports that Arsenal and Hamburg have now reached a full agreement on a loan with an option to buy worth more than €20m (£17.3m).
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: Fabio Vieira #21 of Arsenal FC celebrates after scoring a goal against AFC Bournemouth during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park on July 24, 2024 in Carson, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Plettenberg adds that Vieira will arrive in Hamburg within the next hour to undergo his medical, with the player currently on a flight.
Jason Burt of The Telegraph confirms that Vieira is set to make the move, in what looks to be a busy deadline day for Hamburg.
The midfielder had been linked with a number of other clubs, including West Ham United, but perhaps the strongest links were to VfB Stuttgart.
Stuttgart were interested in a permanent deal, which would have appealed to Arsenal. But the club consistently baulked at Arsenal’s valuation of the player, despite being flush with cash after selling Nick Woltemade and Enzo Millot for combined fees of around £90m this summer.
Perhaps Stuttgart believed Arsenal would eventually give in to their lowball bids, but the Gunners now appear to be handing Vieira over to one of Stuttgart’s Bundesliga rivals instead.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal celebrates with Fabio Vieira following the team's victory in the penalty shoot out during The FA Community Shield match between Manchester City against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Vieira played no part for Arsenal in pre-season, nor has he been involved in the first few Premier League squads of the new campaign.
It’s a shame Arsenal weren’t able to agree a permanent transfer or a loan with an obligation to buy, and they’ll now be hoping Vieira performs sufficiently well that Hamburg decide to activate their option to buy next summer.
First things first, all parties need to formalise the transfer ahead of tonight’s transfer deadline.
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