Arsenal are reportedly considering making a move to sign Vasco da Gama forward Rayan Rocha, as per Italian outlet Calciomercato.
Brazil have continued to produce top-class forwards. After Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Raphinha have displayed their qualities at the highest level, while more recently, Vitor Roque, Endrick, and Estevao Willian have started emerging.
However, after failing to make his mark at Barcelona, Roque has returned to his homeland. On the other hand, Endrick has been struggling to break into Real Madrid’s starting XI.
Estevao, meanwhile, has been showcasing signs of his high potential at Chelsea since joining the club this summer. He has made three goal contributions in five starts across all competitions, including scoring the winner against Liverpool in the Premier League earlier this month.
Now, Rayan has started attracting attention, having displayed eye-catching performances for Vasco da Gama, scoring 16 goals and registering a solitary assist in 46 appearances across all competitions this year.
Calciomercato report that Arsenal have expressed their interest in the 19-year-old and have been monitoring his development closely before making a potential swoop.
The youngster is set to leave in January or next summer, and the Brazilian side want around £26m, although his existing deal will expire at the end of next year.
Rayan to Arsenal
Super agent Pini Zahavi is looking after the operation of his move to Europe, and Arsenal hold a strong relationship with him, which could help the North London club to secure his services.
However, purchasing the forward won’t be straightforward for Arsenal as Chelsea, Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur are also in this race.
AC Milan and AS Roma are interested in him as well. Elsewhere, PSG have enquired about the details of signing him, while FC Porto have already had a £10 million bid rejected for the youngster.
Rayan is a left-footed right winger but is also comfortable centrally. Mikel Arteta has showcased his qualities of developing young talents since becoming Arsenal manager back in 2019.
However, considering Arsenal have established themselves as a Premier League title contender and are well stocked in the attacking department, finding proper game time would be difficult for Rayan should he decide to move to the Emirates Stadium next year.