"One name I’m seeing" - Fabrizio Romano names the midfielder Arsenal are keen on signing in January
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Palmeiras midfielder Danilo has been constantly linked with a move to Arsenal.
The 21-year-old defensive midfielder is one of the most promising players coming out of South America. Palmeiras already know his importance to the team, which is why the player has an £86 million release clause in his contract.
He is on a long-term deal with the Brazilian outfit, which runs out on the last day of 2026. Danilo has previously been linked with the north London outfit, with manager Mikel Arteta still keen to add depth to his midfield.
Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column (h/t TheBootRoom):
"There’s ongoing speculation about who Arsenal could look to sign in midfield this January, and one name I’m seeing more about is Danilo of Palmeiras."
He continued:
"Danilo is one of the players Arsenal have been following for a long time, he was also discussed internally last summer but at the moment there are no talks ongoing. We’ll see if that changes, but for now I’d take any rumours of negotiations or bids with a pinch of salt."
Danilo is a highly important part of manager Abel Fereira. He has registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 137 games across competitions throughout his career with Periquito Verde.
Arsenal have a notable dearth of quality options in central midfield. Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny are both 30-year-olds who are close to the dusk of their playing careers.
The latter is also in the final year of his contract at the Emirates. Thomas Partey's injury issues at Arsenal, meanwhile, are well documented and he could do with some competition in that position.
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There will be pressure on the board to back Arteta going into the January transfer window. The club are doing excessively well in the Premier League this season.
They currently sit atop the league table with 28 points from 11 games - two more than Manchester City. This could be the first time the Gunners have laid their hands on the Premier League title since 2004.
Hence, the club's fans would want the board to back the manager in January and strengthen the team for the second half of the season. The pressure to spend in the winter will increase if the Gunners continue their form.
Whether some of the money will be diverted towards securing Danilo's signature remains to be seen. As Romano claimed above, there are no talks ongoing at the moment.