Report: Arsenal weren’t planning to sign Danilo this summer, but they could do it now

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According to The Daily Mail, Arsenal didn’t plan on making a move to sign Danilo this summer, but they could do it before the transfer window shuts tonight.

The Gunners are on cloud nine at the moment having won each of their first five games this season. They are at the top of the league table, but following injuries to a few important players, Mikel Arteta could be forced to bring in a new midfielder today.

Arsenal weren’t planning to sign Danilo this summer, but they could do it now

Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Oleksandr Zinchenko missed last night’s game against Aston Villa due to injuries. The Ukrainian should be back soon, but the two Africans are set for a spell on the sidelines.

Arsenal’s focus going into transfer deadline day was a new winger, but injuries to the above-mentioned players means the Gunners could dive into the market for a new man in the middle of the park instead.

Palmeiras youngster Danilo is reportedly the player Arsenal are interested in.

The 21-year-old, who has been on the Gunners’ radar for a while now, is among the best defensive midfielders of his age in South America, and he is destined for a big move to Europe soon.

The report claims that Arsenal hadn’t actually planned on signing him in this window, but they could now bring forward their interest due to their current problems in midfield.

Danilo, who still has four-and-a-half years left on his contract, is protected by a release clause of £86 million.

Arsenal value Danilo at £18m

Even though Danilo’s release clause is a mammoth one, Arsenal believe they can get him for a much smaller fee.

The report claims that the Gunners value the young Brazilian midfielder at £18 million. Edu is keen to get a deal done today, but negotiations with Palmeiras will not be easy.

The Brazilian outfit don’t want to lose their star man at least until January. They will make it extremely difficult for Arsenal to get him, which could mean that the Gunners may have to overpay a little to get this over the line.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the coming hours, but if Edu really wants him, he should be able to find a way to get him before tonight’s deadline.