Not Douglas Luiz or Tielemans, Arsenal ready to make January return for £25m midfielder after club rejected deadline day offer –
Arsenal made a formal bid for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo late in the summer transfer window and could return in January, according to a report.
Jorge Nicola (via Sport Witness) claims Arsenal tried to sign Danilo from Palmeiras in the summer window.
As well as the widely-reported attempts to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, Nicola reports that a source has informed him Palmeiras received an official bid of €25m (£21.8m) for Danilo on transfer deadline day, which was rejected.
At the time, Palmeiras president Leila Pereira was clear that they wouldn’t sell the player under any circumstances. But in 2023, the club are more open to letting Danilo go, raising the possibility of Arsenal returning for him in January.
As for the fee Arsenal might have to pay, Nicola claims Danilo is now valued at €30m (£26.1m). But Fabrizio Romano suggests Palmeiras wanted more than €35m in the summer, so perhaps that could be the case again in January.
The Evening Standard reported in early September that Arsenal had lodged an enquiry with Palmeiras over a possible deal for Danilo, but the Brazilian club immediately knocked that approach back.
Palmeiras wanted to keep Danilo around for the rest of their Copa Libertadores campaign, though they have since been eliminated at the semi-final stage.
Multiple sources have now suggested Danilo remains a target ahead of the January window, with the Gunners expected to spend on a midfielder at that stage.
