Arsenal make £20m Danilo bid: The details

Suraj Radia

Updated: 31 Aug 2022 17:18 BST
3 min read

Arsenal have lined up Danilo of Palmeiras to solve their midfield crisis and have made an offer of £20 million for the Brazilian.

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The Gunners had initially opted to prioritise signing a winger over a midfielder but a significant injury to Mohamed Elneny in the win over Fulham has forced Arsenal's hand.

With Thomas Partey also injured, the club had identified Danilo as the ideal long-term solution to their defensive midfield problems but Palmeiras are set to reject Arsenal's bid.

The Brazilian side are unwilling to negotiate for a player who has a £85.9m release clause and they have no plans to sell the 21-year-old before deadline day.

Palmeiras are aiming to retain the Copa Libertadores, which they are in the semi-finals of, and have no interest in losing one of their key players before the competition is over.

It means that a deal may be more likely in January when the season in Brazil is over, although Arsenal will push for an immediate move before the transfer window closes.

Will Arsenal have a busy deadline day?

Arsenal have spent more than £100m this summer however they have not signed anyone since bringing in Oleksandr Zinchenko for £31.5m in mid-July.

The Gunners are conscious of financial fair play restrictions and will not sanction any deals unless they are economically viable and for players that improve the squad in the long-run.

The club have a long-standing interest in Danilo, hence why they have pushed towards a move, and it is believed that Arsenal will not move for a short-term target despite their midfield concerns.

Leicester's Youri Tielemans is a player that Arsenal have been tracking since January and he is available on a cut-price deal due to his contract expiring next summer.

Here's Danilo, since Arsenal links are popping up again. This is his career performance for Palmeiras. He's become key for Palmeiras, starting most of their games during a first-place league run and CONMEBOL Libertadores run (currently in the semis). Usually in a double pivot. pic.twitter.com/4ESCNCbzJd
— Adam Rae Voge (@adamvoge) August 30, 2022

Arsenal have yet to make a formal offer for Tielemans and a move currently looks unlikely after the club signed Fabio Vieira earlier in the summer.

Shakhtar winger Mykhaylo Mudryk could arrive after Wolves informed Arsenal that their priority target, Pedro Neto, was not for sale.

While a midfielder could still arrive, Arsenal would rather wait to pursue their ideal targets and could focus on outgoings on deadline day.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Hector Bellerin are among those that could leave, with the club looking to lower their wage bill before signing anyone else.