After being hauled into a meeting to discuss his discipline in the wake of a clash with Brighton’s Neal Maupay, Matteo Guendouzi’s assertion that he wants to leave Arsenal has seen the club move quickly in their search for a replacement.
L’Equipe broke the news that the youngster had asked to leave the club, with the Daily Star going as far as to suggest that Manchester United could make an approach.
United fan site, Stretty News, have questioned whether Guendouzi would be an upgrade on their current midfield, and it’s difficult to believe that he would be given that Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba appear to be starting to click.
The 21-year-old looks to be on the way out of the Emirates Stadium when the transfer window opens in the summer, and with that in mind, ESPN note that the Gunners are looking at Porto midfielder, Danilo Pereira, as his replacement.
Though his release clause is €60m, ESPN quote sources as telling them that the club are willing to sell for a third of that fee as the financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic continue to wreak havoc.
Having won the 2018 league title with Porto, as well as Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League with Portugal, the experience that he would bring to Arsenal’s midfield is obvious.
At a reported £48,000 per week salary, per ESPN, his hire isn’t likely to prove prohibitive cost wise either.