Arsenal star linked with move to former club after falling down pecking order: Reports

Arsenal star Fabio Vieira has reportedly attracted attention from his boyhood team Porto after recently enduring a stop-start campaign.

Vieira, 24, spent two years at Porto after graduating from their youth setup in June 2020. He helped his former club lift the Primeira Liga title and the Taca de Portugal crown in the 2021-22 season, scoring seven goals and registering 16 assists in 39 overall appearances.

After leaving Porto in a potential £34 million deal, the Portuguese playmaker made 33 appearances across competitions for Arsenal in the 2022-23 season. However, he fell down the Gunners' pecking order last campaign, starting just three of his 16 games in all competitions.

Now, according to Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola, Vieira is keen to secure a transfer away from Arsenal in the summer transfer window. He is unhappy with his lack of regular minutes and is uninterested in spending the best years of his career on the substitute bench.

As a result, Porto are aiming to facilitate a return for the left-footed midfielder in the summer. They are keen to finalise a temporary switch for the player, who is valued in the region of £30 million by the Gunners.

Vieira, whose deal is set to run out in June 2027, has started 17 of his 49 matches across competitions for Mikel Arteta's side. He has found the back of the net three times and contributed nine assists so far.

Arsenal abandon race for 28-year-old ace

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs claimed that the Gunners are not keen to snap up Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer anymore. He revealed:

"Yeah, I think Arsenal are still stuck deciding on the striker front. But it's clear that that's the kind of profile that they're looking for, and they feel is missing. And along with Benjamin Sesko, they've considered Evan Ferguson and Viktor Gyokeres, but they've ruled out Ivan Toney."

Sharing further thoughts on the club's transfer strategy, Jacobs added:

"And even though we hear reports about Arsenal moving for Victor Osimhen, the outlay is so severe that nothing is advancing at this stage on that front. It's a long window, of course, but there's better value and slightly younger profiles of strikers that they are prioritising at this time."

Toney, 28, was reportedly linked with the Gunners earlier this winter. He endured a difficult campaign, netting four times in 17 overall games.

Victor Osimhen, on the other hand, struggled to replicate his world-class form past season for Napoli. The 25-year-old scored 17 goals in 32 outings, while he bagged 31 goals in 39 games in the 2022-23 season.