We are already into mid-January and Arsenal are not wasting time in going after players to bolster their squad with the second half of the season there to play. Having sorted their defence in the summer, the club are now looking for midfielders and forwards. According to reports in Brazil, Arsenal have submitted a bid for Palmeiras defensive midfielder Danilo.

Arsenal are severely depleted in the midfield area, with Granit Xhaka out with COVID-19 and Ainsley Maitland-Niles moving to Roma on loan for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are gone to play in the African Cup of Nations, representing Ghana and Eqypt respectively.

According to Esportes R7 (via Metro), Arsenal have made an official bid of around €25million (£21m) to sign Danilo from Palmeiras in January. As per the website, the offer is valued at €20million upfront, plus another €5million for ‘goals achieved’. However, what those goals are, isn’t mentioned.

The report also states that the 20-year-old midfielder has been approached by the Gunners with a proposal to bring him to the Emirates Stadium this month. Arsenal seem to be very much interested in g the player, but they need to convince his club.

Arsenal have made a proposal for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo, worth €20m + €5m in bonuses, to the club ‘as early as January’. Palmeiras don’t want to sell the 20-year-old until the summer & only a request from the player himself could change their plans. [@portalR7] #afc pic.twitter.com/ORZbXgnnoD

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) January 8, 2022

Even though Arsenal are ready to pay the above-mentioned amount to sign the midfielder in January, Palmeiras are not looking to sell Danilo right now. They are happy to wait until summer for the Brazilian midfielder, who has a contract until 2025 with the club, with a release clause of £86.18m.

Danilo has won the Copa Libertadores twice, and the Copa do Brasil once. He has a good relationship with the club’s manager Abel Ferreira and the board. Therefore, it would not be easy to convince the club to change its stance unless the midfielder himself requests a transfer.

Danilo – Palmeiras| Construção e ações defensivas – Temporada 2020/21https://t.co/7KVSnsOG0X

— Danilo Silva (@10dansilva) March 22, 2021

Although Arsenal seem quite interested in Danilo and are hopeful of bringing him to North London this month, it seems an improbable task to convince Palmeiras of accepting their bid, given the midfielder still has more than 3 years left on his contract with the club as well as the huge release clause.

However, the prospect of moving to Emirates and playing in the Premier League might sway the midfielder to push for a move. Another advantage for Arsenal is Edu being their technical director. It would be interesting to see if the Gunners can prise the Brazilian away from Palmeiras.

Read More:

• LaLiga Club Looking to Make Loan Move for Arsenal Defender
• Profiling Arsenal’s Midfield Pivots: How to Solve the Current Midfield Crisis and Whom to Sign?
• Arsenal Move Into Pole Position to Sign €40m Rated LaLiga Striker After Barcelona Gets Snubbed

No doubt, Danilo is highly rated, but they might be panicking at the moment. £21m is not too big an amount for a club like Arsenal, but spending this amount in the middle of the season for a short-term requirement seems needless. Yes, Danilo is young and would be a good g for a defensive midfielder, but he is not the priority at the moment.

Arsenal need a forward desperately over a midfielder. Xhaka will be back in a week or two, and Lokonga has earned Arteta’s trust. Moreover, Arteta can dip into the academy and move one or two players into the first team until Partey returns. Players like Charlie Patino, Miguel Azeez and Salah Oulad M’Hand would jump at the opportunity.

Follow ArseDevils for the Latest Arsenal Transfer Updates.