Edu holds talks with Arthur Melo’s agent over Arsenal transfer

Arsenal have stepped up their efforts to sign Arthur Melo after meeting with the Juventus midfielder’s agent, according to reports in Italy.

Mikel Arteta is keen for the Gunners to sign the Brazilian before the end of the January transfer window in order to bolster his midfield options.

However, Juventus have been reluctant to allow the 25-year-old to leave without signing a replacement first.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio and Goal Italy, Arsenal are still pressing ahead with their bid to sign Arthur and want to sign the midfielder on loan for the rest of the season.

The report claims that Arsenal’s technical director Edu has met with Arthur’s agent, Federico Pastorello, at the club’s London Colney training ground.

Arthur, meanwhile, is keen to join Arsenal and has already spoken with Edu and Arteta about moving to the Premier League.

Arthur has struggled to make an impact since arriving from Barcelona in 2020 but has performed well for Juventus in recent games and delivered a standout display on Tuesday evening in their victory over Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are set to have Thomas Partey available for their match against Burnley on Sunday following Ghana’s early elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations.

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‘It was a huge disappointment for Thomas obviously because he was representing his country and in this period he had big aims towards the competition,’ Arteta said on Wednesday.

‘He’s out now so he will be fully focused and involved with Arsenal as soon as possible.’

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