Arsenal are reportedly close to re-signing former winger Wellington Silva from Brazilian side Fluminense, president Pedro Abad has claimed.
Silva, now 24, initially joined the north Londoners from Fluminense back in the summer of 2010, but the failure to earn a working visa saw him ply his trade for different La Liga clubs on loans for five seasons.
He eventually got his permit in 2015 but the club opted to loan him to Bolton Wanderers, where after an indifferent spell, he was sold back to his hometown club in July 2016.
Silva has excelled since his return to his nation, where he has notched seven goals across all competitions, and his progress has attracted interest from French club Bordeaux.
Speaking to Terra, Fluminense president confirmed that there has been strong interest from Bordeaux but the Gunners have triggered the buy-back clause which they inserted during his sale last year.
He said: “Another club (Bordeaux, France) made a proposal that beats that value and Arsenal already said they will exercise this clause. So he should leave.”
Arsene Wenger’s side will retain the services of Silva from Fluminense for a fee of £3.5m before sanctioning his immediate departure to Bordeaux next week(as per L’Equipe) for a quick profit of £1.5m – £5m overall.
The FA Cup holders are hot in the pursuit of Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, and the sale of fringe players is likely to be made a priority as Wenger seeks to recoup sufficient funds to acquire the French winger.
Meanwhile, Mahrez could emerge as a ‘serious option‘ for the Gunners boss, should the deal for Lemar not go through in the coming weeks.
Arsenal take on Chelsea in a pre-season friendly at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing today – a dress rehearsal ahead of their Community Shield meeting later next month.
