Arsenal set to back track on their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Joelson Fernandes due to a limited budget… with 17-year-old likely to agree a new deal with Portuguese club
- Arsenal set to back track on their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon’s Joelson Fernandes
- Representatives were expected to fly to Portugal early next week to hold talks
- There were conflicting reports whether they would pay £45m fee or £13.6m
- Mikel Arteta will now turn his attention elsewhere ahead of his summer rebuild
Arsenal are set to halt their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Joelson Fernandes due to a limited budget as club chiefs were set to fly out to Portugal in the coming days.
The 17-year-old has been turning heads after becoming the latest academy product of Sporting’s prestigious youth set-up – following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma and Nani.
Fernandes has started in every league match since the restart from the coronavirus pandemic and appeared to be in advanced talks with the Gunners that have since broken down.
Arsenal have halted their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Joelson Fernandes
The 17-year-old has been turning heads and is set to hold renewal talks with Liga NOS club
Local reports suggested that Fernandes has now been dropped from the squad for Saturday night’s Lisbon derby with Benfica due to the interest from the Gunners that is now no longer.
Representatives from Arsenal were due to fly out early next week in order to close the deal and secure the wonderkid’s signature.
The 17-year-old reportedly has a release clause of £45million and is ready to enter talks of a renewal with the Liga NOS club – which could see his release fee doubled.
Arsenal will now their their attentions elsewhere due to having a limited budget for summer
Fernandes agent, Kia Joorabchian, has a close relationship with the Gunners, having recently helped David Luiz sign a new deal with the club and saw Cedric Soares head to the Emirates.
Barcelona and Juventus remain interested in Fernandes, however, it seems most likely that he will now remain at Sporting.
Arsenal will now turn their attentions elsewhere as the summer transfer window approaches.
