Apart from the signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner, all the other transfers that Arsenal have involved a fee of some sort.
But by the looks of it, the Gunners may be looking at bringing in another player for free. That would be the Brazilian midfielder Bernard from the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, according to reports in Italian Publication Premium Sport.
The midfielder is out of contract at the moment and there are three clubs who are fighting each other to get the player to be part of their squad.
The 25-year-old has been linked to Arsenal many times in the past but this may be the time that they finally get their man.
There was another Premier League interested in him in the form of West Ham United who have been very busy in the transfer window this summer. But, Bernard rejected their offer and looked towards China as his next destination. And when nothing came to fruition on that front, he is looking at the Premier League once again.
Bernard is a very talented player who can play both as an attacking midfielder as well as on the wings. He is known for his speed and dribbling ability and that will be of use to whichever team that he chooses to join.
Arsenal could use a player like him as the number of wingers in the squad is quite less. Bernard will be able to offer another dimension to the attack of the Gunners and it will be nice to have an alternative weapon for Unai Emery.
The Gunners signing him could be dependent on the departure of other players so we might have to wait for a while before any concrete news comes out. Arsenal have been very efficient in the transfer market so far so we should be getting a decision very soon.
To be fair, Arsenal do not need Bernard but it is clear to see why they want a player like him. After all, it helps the team to have players who are capable of doing something a little different.
