Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in signing Flamengo’s 22-year-old midfielder Gerson during the summer – as per Yahoo Sports.
The midfielder joined the Brazilian side from AS Roma last summer and in his first season in South America, the player has caught the attention of a number of big names in Europe.
And speaking to Yahoo, his father has now accepted that Premier League side Arsenal are amongst the clubs which have shown an inclination towards signing his side for the 2020-21 season.
“We had a negotiation last year with Nice, but Gerson had just arrived at Flamengo. The idea is to build a history in the club. We were always flamenguistas. Gerson is extremely happy,” his father told Yahoo Sports.
“Nobody knew about Arsenal, but now that I’m telling you, everyone will know.
“We had everything settled, signed … but Barcelona only wanted to pay 8 million euros to Fluminense, who really needed money. So, we chose to close with Roma, which offered 16 million euros.”
Apart from mentioning the Emirates outfit, Gerson’s father also accepted that other sides like Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund are also keeping an eye on the midfielder.
Arsenal or Spurs: Where’s the midfielder headed to?
The player still has three years left on his current deal with Flamengo but the Brazilian side are more than willing to sell off Gerson for the right price.
During the January transfer window, Spurs tried to sign the midfielder for a fee of around £26 million and we feel, Flamengo will want the same fee this time around as well.
But with so many clubs interested in his services, it will be interesting to see as to which club the 22-year-old chooses in the summer.
Both Spurs and Arsenal are badly in needs of midfield reinforcements for the new season but the Gunners right now have a number of players who do the exact same job as Gerson.
The likes of Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira all play in and around the central midfield area so if the Brazilian chooses to join the Emirates outfit, he will have to fight for his place.
At Spurs, it will be much more easier for him since Jose Mourinho right now has the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso who are by no means a regular first-team feature.
