Juventus willing to accept Arsenal’s loan offer for Arthur on one condition

Juventus are willing to allow midfielder Arthur Melo to join Arsenal on loan this month, but only if the Gunners agree to an unusual 18-month deal, according to reports in Italy.

Mikel Arteta has been left ‘very short’ in midfield after loaning Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Roma, though the earlier-than-expected return of Thomas Partey from the Africa Cup of Nations has alleviated some of their problems.

Nevertheless, Arsenal are still in the market for a new central midfielder and have been exploring a loan deal for Brazil international Arthur.

Despite the 25-year-old having already given his okay to the move, Juventus have been reluctant to weaken their squad and do not want to let Arthur leave without bringing in a replacement first.

But their difficult financial situation means they would need to find a short-term loan of their own, which has prompted the Old Lady to make a new suggestion.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Juve have told Arsenal they can sign Arthur on loan but not as a short-term stopgap.

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With Arsenal unwilling to agree to a compulsory buy option, Juventus have instead proposed an 18-month loan which would, in turn, allow the Serie A giants to bring in a new midfielder on a permanent basis.

However, it remains to be seen if Arsenal will agree to the condition, with Arteta only requiring a short-term solution to his squad issues and the north Londoners would much rather assess Arthur over the next six months before deciding if they wanted to keep him for longer.

Another option Juve