Arsenal eye surprise signing as Mikel Arteta and Edu identify loophole to help transfer cause

Arsenal are looking at the South American market for potential new signings with the Gunners monitoring Peruvian right-back Jhilmar Lora among others in the region, understands.

21-year-old Lora has been described by Peruvian football manager Roberto Mosquera as "an excellent and interesting player", after his time with the Peruvian national team.

Technical director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta are on the look out for a number of new players this summer, with the South American market a particular area of interest.

New rules that came in after Brexit have made it harder for British clubs to sign foreign players from second tier European leagues.

A GBE will be easier to obtain for a fully-fledged international player, but others will have to accumulate 15 points or more, based on the quality of the league and competitions they are involved in.

Brazil, Mexico and Argentina’s leagues are deemed to be in the higher bracket, which means it will be easier for a Gabriel Martinelli -esque transfer to be completed from this summer and beyond.

“There’s been a shift because of Brexit,” lawyer Maria Patsalos told iNews.

“It’s multifaceted. Brexit and the subsequent changes to visa rules to bring in footballers has made it easier than before for players outside of Europe to come to the UK and harder for Europeans.

“The currency exchange means it’s cheaper to buy in South America than Europe. The combination has created the perfect storm. There has been a shift in focus from easy European wins to looking at South America.”

19-year-old Martinelli joined from Brazilian third division side Ituano in the summer of 2019 and has quickly established himself as one of Arsenal's best young players.

The Gunners dismantled their scouting