Arsenal continue pursuit of Brazilian talent identified by Edu
- The Gunners working on deal for Brazilian identified by sporting director Edu
- Monaco, Porto and Zenit showing rival interest in Bitello
- Bitello available for an extremely affordable £8.5m
Arsenal are continuing to work on a deal for Bitello and are confident of securing his signature despite rival interest, sources have told 90min.
The 23-year-old has just two years of first team football under his belt in Brazil, one of which was spent in Serie B, but has attracted the interest of a number of clubs from around Europe.
90min revealed earlier this month that Arsenal were among those interested in striking a deal with Gremio, and that representatives had been dispatched to South America to discuss a transfer.
Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs, with Gremio's asking price believed to be around the £8.5m (€10m; $10.8m) mark.
Bitello is understood to be eager to move continents, and Arsenal are confident they are at the head of the queue for a player who has been picked out by their sporting director Edu, thanks to his sources in his homeland.
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However, sources have also confirmed to 90min that Arsenal are not the only club who have made an approach for Bitello in recent weeks, with Monaco, Porto and Zenit St Petersburg all holding conversations about the verstile midfielder.
Indeed, a number of clubs were represented at Gremio's Copa do Brasil semi-final clash with Flamengo on Thursday, keeping a close eye on Bitelli's performance.
Gremio president Alberto Guerra confirmed earlier this month that there was interest in Bitello but insisted in regards to an offer being made: “There are a lot of people watching Bitello, but a proposal, even to reassure our fans, there is none at the moment".
Arsenal have enjoyed themselves in the summer transfer market, strengthening Mikel Arteta's squad with a trio of big-money signings. Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice have signed on the dotted line, the latter for a British-record £105m fee, though there's expected to be a number of departures from the Emirates Stadium before the British window closes on September 1.
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