Arsenal favourites to sign Brazilian midfielder

Arsenal have moved into pole position to sign Brazilian midfielder Andre Trindade from Fluminense in January.

The 22-year-old was touted to move to the Premier League last summer and Liverpool even agreed terms with him.

However, a transfer did not materialise as Fluminense refused to let go of his services midway through their season.

They have now opened the door for a summer sale and it is claimed that Arsenal are now front-runners for him.

Liverpool signed Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch after missing out on Andre and they are not keen on a January deal.

This is set to benefit the Gunners, who are likely to pursue a defensive midfielder after the setback for Thomas Partey.

Partey has undergone a surgery for a thigh problem and he has already been ruled out for the remainder of the calendar year.

There is no exact timescale for his return to the playing field and this could urge the club to push for the services of Andre.