The Gunners could pursue a defensive midfielder next month as they look to strengthen their prospects of winning the Premier League. Maia was recently mentioned as a target for the club and Gazeta Esportiva claim that the Gunners are indeed interested in signing the 21-year-old star at the turn of the year.
However, it won’t be easy to convince Sao Paulo to part ways with the highly-rated midfielder as they have just sold centre-back Lucas Lopes Beraldo to Paris Saint-Germain for £17 million and have also secured naming rights for their stadium. The source say that Arsenal need to make a very good bid to sign him.
Good talent
Maia was one of the best performers for Sao Paulo last season as they finished 11th in the Brazilian top-flight. In all competitions, he made 58 appearances and caught the eye with his distribution, ball recoveries and tackling from the heart of the midfield.
Arsenal appear to be keen on signing him and it is unsurprising as they need more quality in the squad to deal with potential injuries in the back end of the campaign. Declan Rice is presently the go-to choice for the club in the no.6 position.
Jorginho is no longer in his prime and has mostly been on the bench this season while Mohamed Elneny is no longer in favour. Thomas Partey can be a world-beater on his day, but his injuries have made him an unreliable figure in the squad.
The Gunners need another quality midfielder in the ranks and Maia would be a solid addition in January. He possesses a strong work rate but Arsenal may have to pay a higher transfer fee to convince Sao Paulo into letting him go this winter.
They recently received £17 million for Beraldo’s move to Paris Saint-Germain. Maia could be a costlier signing for the Gunners as he is a more established figure in Sao Paulo’s squad with twice the number of appearances as Beraldo.
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