Football.london understands that Hamburg are close to agreeing a deal with Arsenal to sign Fabio Vieira on a season-long loan, which includes an option-to-buy clause that can be activated at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who the Gunners signed from Porto for about £34 million in June 2022, is travelling to Germany to finalise a move to the newly-promoted Bundesliga outfit. It's understood that Arsenal are hopeful of selling Vieira next summer.
The Portuguese playmaker has faced an uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium for a while now, having failed to force himself into Mikel Arteta's side. After just two years in north London, he was sent back to Porto on loan.
Vieira featured 42 times across all competitions for the Dragoes last season, scoring five goals and providing six assists. Porto finished 11 points behind first-placed Sporting Clube de Portugal in the Primeira Liga, and they crashed out of the Europa League in the knockout round play-offs.
Despite his best efforts, Vieira was unable to convince his boyhood club to re-sign him permanently. Upon his return to Arsenal, he was ousted from the squad as Andrea Berta looked to recoup a slice of the fee that Edu paid a few years ago.
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Sky Sports deal
Unfortunately for the Gunners, it's understood that Vieira will leave on loan on deadline day. According to Sky Germany, the option-to-buy clause in the deal with Hamburg is worth over €20m (£17.3m), with the broadcaster describing it as a 'transfer bombshell' with the player 'on his way'.
When Arsenal secured the midfielder's signature back in June 2022, Arteta described him as a 'special talent'. The Spaniard said: "I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent.
"Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play. We welcome Fabio and his family to our club and are looking forward to starting work with him ahead of the new season."
By October, Arteta was demanding more from Vieira. Following the north Londoners' 3-0 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, the Spaniard said: "Yes, you saw the quality.
"Every time he’s around the box, he’s a real threat, really intelligent player and brave. In defending, he still needs to do more and understand it more because organisation is key when you play against good teams in ball possession."
Despite signing his praises, Vieira was played sparingly under Arteta. In January 2023, after a 3-0 win against Oxford United in the third round of the FA Cup, the Arsenal boss told ITV Sport: "He has the quality.
"He is a really creative player and has the capacity to decide games in the final third. The moment we got him into the right spaces he made the difference."
By the start of the following season, Arteta admitted he was at fault for the midfielder's lack of playing time. When asked about Vieira's situation in September 2023, the Arsenal boss said: "That was my fault.
"He hasn’t had enough room in the team with the competitions that we play to participate more, but we see every day the talent he has got and what he can bring to the team. I was really happy with his performance at the weekend."
Despite his glowing reviews, Arteta rarely showed faith in Vieira; a year or so later, he was sent back to Porto on loan. When asked why the Portuguese playmaker was finally offloaded, the Spaniard cited the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has since become a staple in the Arsenal squad, showing great promise and quality whenever he's called upon. In December 2024, Arteta said: "We allowed Fabio to go as well because we wanted to create the room and the space for Ethan.
"He has given us every reason to trust him. He's shown that he's ready to make the next step and it’s great to have him."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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