West Ham United have registered an interest in Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo who is also on the summer wishlist for Arsenal.
The Gunners had tried really hard to sign the midfielder in January but they could not get a deal done and as per some rumours, they will try once again this summer.
His agent has recently admitted that the Brazilian was close to joining Arsenal at the start of the new year and since he’s fallen down the pecking order at Juve, the 25-year-old still wants to secure an exit.
‘In January he was close to leaving and joining Arsenal,’ Pastorello told La Repubblica, via Metro. ‘He is too important a player to be marginalised, he must also think about his situation with the national team.
‘He was signed to play a different style of football, with Maurizio Sarri he would have played Jorginho, Allegri likes him but instead, he wants to play with two more physical midfielders.
‘It’s a tactical question, and I don’t make the technical choices. But it’s not in anyone’s interest to continue in this situation.’
Will West Ham United move ahead of Arsenal in this deal?
Around two weeks ago, Fabrizio Romano had revealed that Arthur Melo is no longer a priority for the Gunners so at least on paper, West Ham United should find it easy to secure a deal for the Juventus midfielder.
Juventus know Arsenal need a defensive midfielder which is why they are willing to enter into a swap deal between Arthur for one of Arsenal’s Thomas Partey or Gabriel Magalhaes.
There’s obviously no way Mikel Arteta will let Thomas Partey leave but there’s a slight possibility that Gabriel could be used as part of this exchange.
After his performance for Marseille, the Gunners want to hold onto William Saliba and if the youngster remains at the Emirates Stadium then Arteta can take the gamble of sending Gabriel to Juventus.
Whether West Ham United get their hands on Arthur Melo or not will totally depend on how Arsenal respond in the coming months. If the North London team reignites their interest then the Hammers won’t stand a chance at all.
Which team needs the midfielder more?
West Ham United might lose Declan Rice in the summer and as per the latest rumours, Moyes wants to get rid of Tomas Soucek due to a fall-out between the pair.
If either of them leaves it will make sense for the Hammers to try and sign Arthur but if Moyes ends up holding onto both the players then the Juventus midfielder will have to fight for his place at the London Stadium. The primary reason why he wants to exit Juve is the lack of game time so we don’t think the midfielder will be too keen to start from scratch at his new club.
Also, if both Rice and Soucek stay back Moyes will not need any other defensive midfielder.
However, at Arsenal, he will find it considerably easier to get a spot in the first XI because Mikel Arteta is actively looking for a long-term replacement for Granit Xhaka. The Gunners have already been linked with players Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans but Arthur might have the cheapest transfer fee amongst the lot. At the moment, the 25-year-old just wants regular playing time and whichever side can offer him that will be the favourites to sign him.
