Arsenal 26yo wants permanent return to loan club

Fabio Vieira wants to play for Hamburger SV next season and the German club have been in contact with Arsenal, but there’s still no agreement at this stage.

HAMBURG, GERMANY - JANUARY 31: Fabio Vieira of Hamburg SV gestures during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and FC Bayern München at Volksparkstadion on January 31, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Sky Sport in Germany report that Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira wants to play for HSV next season, and he’d prefer not to return to London.

The same source claims HSV and Arsenal are in direct contact and have already exchanged “concrete figures” regarding a potential transfer, with Vieira hoping for an agreement.

But there’s clearly no such agreement at this stage, now 10 weeks after Vieira’s last appearance on loan for HSV.

Fabio Vieira of Hamburger SV scores his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and FC Bayern München at Volksparkstadion on January 31, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

In many ways, there’s not much new in this update, and it’s notable that it always seems to be the German media pushing this transfer.

HSV are clearly very keen to sign Vieira, but they don’t want to pay anything like what they agreed with Arsenal last summer (a €22m transfer fee).

Repeatedly talking to the media about how much they want Vieira would just make HSV seem desperate, so their best approach is to reiterate how much he wants to join them.

HAMBURG, GERMANY: Fabio Vieira of Hamburger SV celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart at Volksparkstadion on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Previous reports have suggested HSV are hoping for a deal at less than €10m (£8.6m), less than half of what was previously agreed.

Vieira ended the 2025/26 season with 13 goal contributions for a bottom-half Bundesliga side, despite a very disrupted start to the campaign. His impact and consistency has been clear and impressive, so a €10m deal seems well under his true value.

Fabio Vieira of Hamburger SV scores his team's first goal under pressure from Rav van den Berg of 1. FC Koln during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln at Volksparkstadion on March 14, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

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