VfB Stuttgart have insisted that Arsenal lower their demands for Fabio Vieira or forget about a deal, according to a report.
Jordan Davies reports that Arsenal have been told by VfB Stuttgart to lower their demands for Fabio Vieira, or else they’ll move onto other targets.
According to Davies, Stuttgart only want to pay a maximum of £17m, even after including add-ons. By contrast, Arsenal are looking for a deal in the region of £25m.
The frustration for Arsenal will be that they know Stuttgart have made a net profit on their summer business so far. Having sold Enzo Millot to Al-Ahli for a base fee of €28m (a fee that could rise to over €30m with bonuses), they have cash to work with.
It seems like Stuttgart could afford a fee closer to Arsenal’s demands, but perhaps they feel Vieira’s absence from Mikel Arteta’s matchday squads gives them leverage.
Vieira played no part for Arsenal in pre-season, and he wasn’t involved in Sunday’s squad for the Gunners’ Premier League opener against Manchester United.
Yet Vieira had a strong loan spell back with FC Porto last season, making 42 appearances as a regular starter for the side. Arsenal will want to get at least a decent return on their initial investment on him.