Reports: Arsenal to make move for £53 million rated player

What's the story?

Premier League club Arsenal have scouted Danilo Pereira of Porto according to English media outlet Metro. The Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger wants to strengthen his midfield in the January transfer window and might make a move for the 26-year-old if the report is to believed.

In case you didn't know...

Arsenal broke their transfer record when they signed Lyon centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette in the last summer transfer window. However, the team still seems to have flaws and Wenger has problems to solve in the midfield.

Even though the Premier League club bought defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka for a fee of about £41 million, the Swiss international has failed to live up to the expectations. The North London club's central midfield seems to be the area which needs a solution and Xhaka has not been able to help the course.

Arsenal had been linked with Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho for some time. However, it has now emerged that the club has scouted his national teammate Danilo.

Danilo (not to be mistaken with current Manchester City defender Danilo who also happened to play for Porto) joined the Portuguese club in 2015 from Italian club Parma for a fee of just £4 million. The 26-year-old has gone on to become an important part of the squad and even has a release clause of £53 million.

The heart of the matter

Wenger wants to sort out the problems in the squad and bolster his midfield when the transfer window opens in January. Metro via reports from Portugal claim that Arsenal have scouted Porto's Danilo after identifying him as a potential target.

The player reportedly has a release clause of £53 million and if the Gunners are to make a move for him, they will have to negotiate hard to convince the Dragoes to sell for less than that.

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Author's take

Arsenal really needs to sort out their midfield in order to compete for a top-four spot this season. Xhaka has not been impressive in the defensive midfielder role and Wenger will be looking to address this soon.

While Danilo Pereira is a solid defensive midfielder, £53 million might be too much for him and the Gunners can find better options for the same amount.