Radio Guaiba journalist Rafael Pfeiffer reports that Arsenal have sent representatives to Porto Alegre to make an opening offer for Gremio midfielder Bitello, with the formal documentation expected to arrive in the coming days.
Arsenal intermediaries have already spoken to the Gremio president over the deal, but further talks are planned, with negotiations still required to close the deal.
Gremio have warned Arsenal they want €10m (£8.5m) for their 70% share of Bitello’s rights, with the 23-year-old’s former club FC Cascavel owning the other 30%.
Assuming Arsenal bought out the remaining 30% at the same rate, that would bring the total cost of the transfer fee to around €14.3m (£12.2m).
A further complication is that Gremio are reportedly keen to keep Bitello for the remainder of the year, even if they agree to sell him this summer.
It’s unclear whether or not that’s what Arsenal would want to do.
The Brazilian league operates on a calendar-year basis, so Gremio are currently in the middle of their season – hence their desire to keep Bitello around.
Gremio play their Copa do Brasil quarter-final second leg against Bahia on Wednesday night, and they’re competing towards the top of the Brazilian Serie A, sitting 3rd.
Given Bitello’s young age, perhaps Arsenal would be willing to wait a few months to land their man. It would just depend on their plans for him, and whether he’s viewed as an important piece of the puzzle for this season.
Bitello has made 33 appearances for Gremio this season so far, scoring seven goals and assisting four more.
The midfielder is capable of playing a central role or filling in on the right-hand side. There are suggestions Arsenal could be looking for a backup to Bukayo Saka, so he could fit the bill on that front.
For now, we’ll have to wait for sources in the English media to confirm the Gunners’ interest.
