Arsenal have seen an initial offer of £15m plus add-ons for Flamengo’s Matheus Franca turned down, according to a report.

Journalist Artur Petrosyan reports that Arsenal have had a £15m bid for Matheus Franca of Flamengo turned down. Newcastle United have also reportedly expressed an interest in the 19-year-old.

Reports from April suggested that Arsenal had sent scouts to watch Franca during one of Flamengo’s Copa Libertadores matches, with Crystal Palace also watching him.

There were then further reports later in the month that Newcastle United had seen a €16m (£13.9m) bid turned down.

At the time, the reports put Flamengo’s valuation at over £16m, which isn’t too far off either Arsenal or Newcastle’s initial bid.

If those reports were correct, you’d imagine it’s only a matter of time until one of the clubs in the race meet the asking price.

Franca has made 25 appearances for Flamengo in 2023 so far, following his 22 appearances in 2022 and two appearances in 2021, so he’s making major steps forward with each passing year.

In total, the midfielder has scored nine goals across his 50 games for the Flamengo senior side.

As well as his involvement at club level, Franca has made a couple of appearances for the Brazil u20s. He has a contract with his current club until 2027.

Arsenal’s summer business looks to be focused on high-profile deals for midfielders and defenders, but it would certainly be no surprise to see the club making some moves outside the top-five leagues as well.

In the last few seasons, Arsenal have made a habit of signings like that.

Marquinhos joined last summer, Auston Trusty the previous January, Albert Sambi Lokonga the summer before, and Pablo Mari (from Flamengo themselves) the year before that.

Perhaps Franca will be the next on the list, but it seems there’s still work to be done with Flamengo.