Arsenal have reportedly agreed an £8 million fee with Chelsea for defender David Luiz.
Speculation gathered pace on Wednesday about the Brazilian’s desire to move to the Emirates Stadium.
Journalist David Ornstein reported on Thursday, the final day of the Premier League’s summer transfer window, that the deal was edging closer.
The 32-year-old did not take part in full training with the Blues first team on Wednesday despite being at Chelsea’s Cobham base.
It’s added that Arsenal are likely to strengthen their defence further with the acquisition of Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, who is set to move to the Gunners for a fee in the region of £25 million.
Arsenal have made significant deals to improve their squad this summer. Nicolas Pepe arrived from Lille for a club-record £72 million fee, while they have also landed Dani Ceballos on loan for the season from Real Madrid.
Luiz’s proposed move emerged as a surprise, with the player having only agreed a new contract with the Blues in May.
According to Ed Aarons and Ewan Murray of the Guardian, Luiz has been advised by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard that he isn’t a guaranteed starter for the upcoming season.
Luiz is said to have been keen to move to the Blues’ London rivals with that in mind.
Following Laurent Koscielny’s departure to Bordeaux, Arsenal boss Unai Emery will be pleased to be bringing in a replacement.
Throughout his time at the top level, Luiz has split opinion. At times, he has looked like a world-class defender. He’s commanding in the air, aggressive in the challenge and capable of bringing out the ball from defence with confidence.
However, there are occasions when he loses concentration and is rash in his decision-making, leaving his side exposed.
