Arsenal have joined Palmeiras’ Danilo to solve their midfield crisis and made a £20m bid for the Brazilian.
Arsenal initially chose to prioritize signing a winger over a midfielder, but a major injury to Mohamed Elneny in the win over Fulham forced Arsenal to participate.
With Thomas Partey also injured, the club have identified Danilo as the ideal long-term solution to their defensive midfield problems, but Palmeiras is ready to turn down Arsenal’s offer.
The Brazilian side are not willing to negotiate a player with a £85.9m release clause and have no plans to sell the 21-year-old before deadline day.
Palmeiras seeks to retain the Libertadores Cup, from which they reached the semi-finals, and they have no interest in losing one of their key players before the competition ends.
This means a deal could be more likely in January when the season ends in Brazil, although Arsenal will push for an immediate move before the transfer window closes.
Will Arsenal have a busy day with the deadline?
Arsenal have spent more than £100m this summer but have not signed anyone since bringing in Oleksandr Zinchenko for £31.5m in mid-July.
The Gunners understand the limitations of financial fair play and will not penalize any deals unless they are economically viable and for players who improve the team in the long run.
The club has a long-term interest in Danilo, which is why he pushed them to move, and believes Arsenal will not move for a short-term target despite midfield concerns.
Leicester’s Yuri Tillmans is a player Arsenal have been following since January and is available on a reduced-price deal due to his contract expiring next summer.
Here’s Danilo, where the Arsenal links are once again. This is the performance of his career with Palmeiras. He has become a staple of the Palmeiras squad, starting most of their matches during the first-place round in the League and CONMEBOL Libertadores (currently in the semi-finals). Usually in a double axis. pic.twitter.com/4ESCNCbzJd
Adam Ray Vogue (@adamvoge) August 30 2022
Arsenal have yet to make a formal bid for Tillmans and a transfer currently appears unlikely after the club signed Fabio Vieira earlier in the summer.
Shakhtar winger Mikhailo Modric could arrive after Wolves told Arsenal that their first target, Pedro Neto, is not for sale.
While the midfielder can still reach, Arsenal prefer to wait to follow his ideal goals and can focus on strikes on deadline day.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Hector Bellerin are among those who could leave, with the club looking to cut their salary bill before signing anyone else.
