Arsenal has reportedly approached Brazilian club Palmeiras over a deal to acquire the services of 18-year-old attacking sensation Luighi. However, the deal offered to the Brazilian club was quickly turned down, so the plan to bring the young attacker to England hangs in limbo for now.
Earlier, Southampton approached Palmeiras over signing Luighi, and they tabled an offer of €10m; however, the top brass immediately turned down the offer. (via Sports Mole)
The 2006-born player is a top-quality product of the highly-rated Palmeiras Academy. As soon as he burst onto the professional scene, Luighi made an instant impact, scoring one goal in three appearances so far. The 18-year-old is a skilful and strong attacker who can pull the strings and create effective goal-scoring opportunities.
Embed from Getty ImagesLuighi is making significant strides, and his talent has attracted the attention of Premier League clubs such as Southampton and Arsenal.
Arsenal’s unspecified bid was turned down by the South American giants, who inserted an €80m (£67.3m) release clause into his contract when he signed in July.
The attacker’s contract runs until the end of 2028, leaving Palmeiras with no pressure to sell him. Given his role in the club’s sporting project, the Brazilian club has no plans to accept any bid for the player.
Palmeiras views Luighi as a central figurehead of their team for the 2025 campaign, and if he were to leave, the club’s sporting project could be significantly impacted.
Embed from Getty ImagesIs Arsenal trying to fill in the void left by the outgoing Chido Obi Martin?
According to various reports, the Gunners were trying to lure Luighi to Arsenal around the same time that they were trying—and failing—to tie Chido Obi Martin down to a new deal.
The Danish international netted 32 goals during the 2023-24 campaign, impressing everyone. However, he decided to join Manchester City as the club‘s pathway to the first team is much clearer compared to the Gunners’.
Embed from Getty ImagesPoaching the Brazilian from Palmeiras would also see Arsenal copy the Chelsea strategy. The Blues have also used their South American connections to poach 2007-born Estevao Willian from the club, although he will not officially arrive until 2025.
It will be interesting to see how this situation evolves as Arsenal will try to leave no stone unturned in their quest to sign Luighi.