Arsenal have joined the race for FC Porto’s Ricardo Pereira, after Tottenham Hotspur failed in their bid for the player last summer.
According to A Bola (via Sport Witness), both clubs are now after Pereira. Tottenham’s €12-15m offer last summer clearly wasn’t enough to convince the Portuguese club, but that hasn’t put them off entirely and they still have their bonuskod unibet.
Perhaps Serge Aurier giving away three penalties and receiving one red card this season are keeping them on the market for a right-back.
Arsenal recently joined Manchester United in sending scouts to watch the defender. Porto’s 24-year-old right-back had a fantastic game at both ends of the pitch that day.
He won 15 of his 18 duels, completed 80% of his long balls, and seven of his nine attempted dribbles. He also made four clearances, two interceptions and six tackles in an all-action performance.
The media linked Arsenal to a move for the full-back last year, when he was on loan at Nice. He reportedly has a €25m (£21.9m) release clause, although the latest A Bola report claims it’s actually €20m (£17.5m).
Either way, it’s not a particularly large amount for a club like Arsenal. If the club are looking for someone to challenge and provide back-up to Hector Bellerin, they could do a lot worse.