Barcelona rival Arsenal for giant Brazilian talent, he’s with the same agency as Gabriel Magalhaes

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Arsenal appear to be closing in on signing Eberechi Eze, but Mikel Arteta may still move to sign another defender.

The Gunners have seen Kai Havertz pick up a knee injury, meaning a spell on the treatment table now awaits.

Adding another attacking option has become Arsenal’s focus, and a deal for a new wide man appears to be imminent.

Arsenal are closing in on Eberechi Eze and now lead the race for the Crystal Palace playmaker.

Tottenham Hotspur have been chasing Eze, but he now looks set for a move to Arsenal in the coming days.

Arsenal fans feared business was done after Leandro Trossard’s new contract, but the Gunners are moving for Eze – and may yet have another move in mind.

• READ MORE: Eberechi Eze could become an Arsenal hero before he’s even kicked a ball for the club

Barcelona rival Arsenal for Luiz Benedetti

Arsenal have regularly looked towards Brazil in recent memory.

Gabriel Martinelli has been a success story, but Marquinhos couldn’t follow in his footsteps in North London.

Another Brazilian talent now appears to be on the Arsenal radar, with reports from Brazilian side Somos Fanaticos last week suggesting that Arsenal want Palmeiras teenager Luiz Benedetti.

An offer of around €10million (£8.7million) is believed to be imminent from an unnamed club, with Arsenal the only suitor highlighted by name.

Catalan newspaper SPORT now claim that Barcelona are rivalling Arsenal in the race to sign Benedetti.

Serie A champions Napoli are also believed to be interested in Benedetti, having been impressed with his progress in Brazil.

Benedetti holds an Italian passport, and the battle for his signature is already heating up around Europe.

Luiz Benedetti profiled amid Arsenal interest

The first thing to say about Benedetti is that he is a truly enormous presence.

Benedetti stands at around 6ft 6in tall, and that size makes him difficult to ignore.

The 19-year-old has only played nine first-team games for Palmeiras and didn’t feature at all during the Club World Cup.

Benedetti has shown potential in Brazil and is a naturally left-footed centre-back, which will make him very appealing.

Benedetti is represented by the Bertolucci Sports agency, who also represent Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.

That could help Arsenal in terms of receiving information on a potential deal, and while Benedetti may be more of a long-term target than a player who will quickly follow Eze to North London, he is a name to keep tabs on for 2026.