Arsenal transfer news: Gunners now scouting midfielder who’s good enough to start for Real Madrid

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Arsenal have reportedly been scouting Benfica star Florentino Luis, a midfielder who’s been labelled as good enough to play for Real Madrid.

The Gunners moved to bring in Jorginho from Chelsea last month after Mikel Arteta looked short in terms of his options in the middle of the park.

The 31-year-old was signed on deadline after it became clear that Brighton would not allow Moises Caicedo to leave.

Jorginho made his full debut for the Gunners against Manchester City last night and Arteta was impressed with his display.

But the north Londoners are lining up midfield reinforcements for the summer and have been linked with West Ham star Declan Rice, as well as returning for Caicedo.

Now, it seems that Arsenal also have a different name on their shortlist as they have been scouting Benfica star Florentino Luis.

Arsenal have scouted Florentino

Goal reports that Florentino is gaining attention from a host of Premier League scouts, including Arsenal and Liverpool.

The 23-year-old has been exceptional for Benfica this season under Roger Schmidt and has featured in every single game.

Benfica are well-known for producing stars and Enzo Fernandez is just the latest player to make the switch to England from the Portuguese giants.

Florentino has excelled as a defensive midfielder for the Eagles this season, particularly in the Champions League.

Former Benfica coach, Joao Tralhao, also told Goal that he thinks the Portuguese midfielder is good enough to play for Real Madrid.

“He has the talent and quality to play in elite teams. Remember when Real Madrid had the Galacticos? They needed someone to balance the team, and [Claude] Makelele was so important,” he said.

“More recently, Casemiro did that job, allowing [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Luka] Modric and [Karim] Benzema to attack. Florentino has those capabilities. He’s having an amazing season under Roger Schmidt.”

Florentino is capable of filling multiple roles in the middle of the park and his high-energy style would certainly suit Arsenal.

The Gunners will undoubtedly need to bring in a player who is capable of stepping up in Thomas Partey’s absence, with the midfielder often struggling with injury setbacks.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal would take a gamble on Florentino though, especially if they are able to land either Rice or Caicedo over the summer.