Will Arsenal make any deadline day signings?
According to VBet journalist, Hrach Khachatryan, the north London are believed to be "exploring" a potential temporary deal for Manchester City full-back, Joao Cancelo, with this coming amid prior claims earlier in the year that suggested Mikel Arteta would 'love' to sign the 29-year-old.
Writing on Twitter, Khachatryan has claimed: "Arsenal are in contact with Joao Cancelo representatives. They are exploring option to loan him until the end of this season."
It would appear that Bayern Munich are also keen to bring the Portugal international back to Germany following his recent loan spell at the club, with La Liga giants Barcelona having thus far been unable to get a deal over the line for the versatile defender.
Would Joao Cancelo be a good signing for Arsenal?
With former City assistant Arteta having recruited both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from his previous employers last summer, it would be no surprise if the Spaniard was to pull off another raid on the Etihad outfit this time around in order to get Cancelo in the door.
Lauded as a "special talent" in the past by manager Pep Guardiola, the one-time Valencia full-back has somewhat fallen out of favour in Manchester after being shipped off to Bayern in January, although that should not take away from a player who not too long ago was arguably one of "the best attacking full backs in world football" - as per teammate Phil Foden.
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Such praise had come during a 2021/22 campaign that saw the £250k-per-week dynamo - who is valued at €60m (£53m) by CIES Football Observatory - finish with a stellar haul of ten assists from his defensive berth, showcasing the level of quality he can bring to Arteta's ranks.
To bring in arguably a "world-class" asset - as hailed by ex-Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann - so late in the day would evoke memories of the signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on deadline day back in 2013, with the former Germany international having also been a major marquee addition after joining on a club-record deal.Although things ended in rather sour fashion for the now-retired magician as he was cast aside by Arteta prior to his exit from the Emirates in 2021, the playmaker was a true genius when in his pomp, notably contributing 79 assists in 254 games in all competitions during that lengthy stay in the capital.
Much like Ozil, Cancelo can also be a real difference-maker in the final third despite not being an attacker by trade, with the latter man simply "sensational" with regard to his "quality" in and around the opposition box, according to Foden.
As such, while it had looked to be a quiet end to the window for the Gunners, an already impressive summer could be capped off with an Ozil-esque, statement signing.
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