Report: Arsenal transfer plan scuppered by Manchester City as they tried to replicate William Saliba deal
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Arsenal had a player in mind who they believed would be a great option for central defence in the future, however, Manchester City scuppered their plan.
Arsenal are continuing to look at options to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s squad and they aren’t just looking at immediate-term options, but also players for the future.
The Gunners’ priority this month is to search for potential attacking options with goals being a slight issue for Arteta’s side.
However, one player they were looking at was a defender and despite putting in a lot of work to land him, they have been pipped to the post by the Premier League champions.
Arsenal tried to replicate William Saliba deal with Vitor Reis
Manchester City were allowed to swoop in ahead of Arsenal and sign Palmerias defender Vitor Reis bringing him to the Etihad Stadium this month.
City look set to complete a £30 million deal for Reis having decided to make their move for him this month to see off the strong competition.
As per the Athletic, Arsenal had identified the Brazilian as a player who had huge potential and just like when they signed William Saliba in 2019, a move for the defender was seen as one for the future.
The Gunners put in a large amount of groundwork in the fight to secure Reis’ signature and the North London club even felt they were in a strong position.
However, at this moment in time, their priorities lie elsewhere and in the end, they opted against pushing through a deal for the 19-year-old.
Have Arsenal missed out on a special talent?
Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery is very excited about the potential of Vitor Reis and has compared him to top central defenders Marquinhos and Thiago Silva.
Vickery told Sky Sports News: “You can see the influence of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, that is the centre-back he wants to be. Classy on the ball, head up and can play out the back.
