According to recent reports, Arsenal are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Matheus Fernandes, but is that really the case?

Reports this week from multiple sources suggest that Arsenal have been scouting Fernandes ahead of a possible move. Based on those reports, some have even gone as far as to say that the Gunners are closing in on a deal.

However, the one thing pretty much every report has in common is that they all cite Calciomercato as their source. The problem is that if you go back to the original Calciomercato reports, they talk about Arsenal sending scouts to watch Fernandes in the spring, not at any point in the last few months.

Calciomercato reference Globo Esporte as their source of information on the story, and sure enough, Globo Esporte write that “representatives from Arsenal, England and Villarreal, Spain, also came to Brazil to watch [Fernandes] in 2018”.

Once again, if you follow the link in their article it goes back to a previous story they wrote in June. This isn’t new information, the Brazilian outlet are just referencing old reports to add colour to their new pieces.

To sum up: Yes, it does seem that Arsenal sent representatives to follow Fernandes earlier this year. However, the reports are only resurfacing now because the player is being linked with a move to Genoa, not because the Gunners have sent scouts to watch him again.