According to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who spoke to GiveMeSport last week prior to the Fabio Vieira agreement, Arsenal was still ‘hopeful and confident’ that both Youri Tielemans and Gabriel Jesus would join the club this summer.
The Gunners narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season, but this does not appear to have affected their transfer dealings.
Mikel Arteta has already added three new acquisitions to his squad despite the window being officially open for a little over a week.
American goalkeeper Matt Turner and Brazilian winger Marquinhos have joined the club, as has attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira, who looks set to complete a £34 million move from FC Porto.
However, Arsenal is not expected to rest on their laurels in what remains of the summer, with reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano providing a positive update on Tielemans and Jesus.
“They’re still working on Youri Telemans; he’s their top priority in midfield,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “We’ll see what happens with Gabriel Jesus, but Arsenal has finally entered the market.”
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about signing Jesus, partly because he only has one year left on his contract with Manchester City.
What did Taylor have to say about Arsenal?
Tottenham Hotspur is also said to be interested in Tielemans, while Chelsea is said to be keeping a close eye on Jesus’ situation at the Etihad Stadium.
Nevertheless, Taylor said Arsenal remained optimistic over their chances of signing the talented duo, who are valued at a combined £94.5m by Transfermarkt.
He told GiveMeSport: “There was obviously sort of the whole feeling about whether they’d still want to join without Champions League football, but I think from an Arsenal perspective, they’re still hopeful and confident that both players will still join.”
Vieira’s arrival should not interfere with Arsenal’s plans to sign Tielemans because he prefers to play in a more advanced role than the Belgian international.
The 25-year-old has established himself as a top Premier League performer in recent years, winning the FA Cup with Leicester City, and could be an important addition to the engine room at the capital club.
Meanwhile, Arteta is likely to prioritize signing a new striker after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left north London in January, and Alexandre Lacazette is set to return to Lyon next season.
As a result, Eddie Nketiah is the only recognized forward in Arsenal’s first-team squad, a problem that could be solved immediately by securing the services of Jesus.
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