Fabrizio Romano reveals midfielder 'top of Arsenal's list'

Suraj Radia

9 Nov 2023 16:20 CST
3 min read

Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal, Emirates Stadium — © ProShots

Fabrizio Romano has revealed Mikel Arteta’s ‘perfect’ transfer target, with Arsenal set to explore the market for midfielders in January after seeing Thomas Partey suffer a setback with his injury.

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Partey was injured last month and Arsenal had been optimistic that the Ghanian would return to action soon but he has undergone a further procedure which will keep him out for the rest of 2023.

With Partey also likely to be part of Ghana’s squad for the African Cup of Nations in January, Arsenal are considering bringing in a midfielder during the winter but their options could be restricted due to financial fair play.

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The Gunners spent more than €200 million on players in the summer and consequently need to sell before making any significant investments but Romano has revealed that Arsenal are monitoring some players that they appreciate, including Douglas Luiz, who is Arteta’s ‘perfect’ midfielder.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “The top name on Arsenal’s list is Douglas Luiz. He was already on their list two years ago. Edu and others at the club really appreciate him and he is considered the perfect midfielder by Arsenal, they would love to sign him and to return to him.

“But you have to respect Aston Villa, they have an ambitious project and they consider him a crucial player, so only a crazy and huge proposal would be considered in January.”

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Arsenal had made a number of bids for Luiz last year but they were rejected by Aston Villa and the 25-year-old ended up signing a new contract with the club until 2026.

Luiz has been in fine form for Villa this season, grabbing five goals and one assist in the Premier League as Unai Emery’s side push for Champions League qualification and the Brazilian has insisted he is happy at the club.

Douglas Luiz.🇧🇷

That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/bWKxPJgQfl
— Ty Bracey (@TyBracey) November 9, 2023

Arsenal will be highly unlikely to make a move for Luiz in January due to their financial restrictions, while Martin Zubimendi is also ‘difficult’ for the Gunners despite a €60m release clause in his contract at Real Sociedad.

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“It’s true that Arsenal really like Zubimendi and believe he could be perfect, especially Mikel Arteta,” Romano added. “But the player is very happy at Real Sociedad and he is not thinking about changing at the moment.”