Arsenal gifted boost as £20m target’s transfer stance emerges ahead of January

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Arsenal are reportedly interested in a move for Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals in 45 games this year, and his agent recently revealed that he is set to move to Europe in the winter window, with a price tag of around £20m.

It is unclear what club he will choose to sign for, with multiple Premier League clubs interested in the attacker, but his stance over a move has now emerged, with the youngster vying for a place in the Brazil squad for the summer Olympics.

Arsenal target Marcos Leonardo’s transfer stance revealed

A report from Brazilian outlet Globo has highlighted that Leonardo will only move to a club which he feels can give him a good chance of receiving enough recognition in terms of joining the National Team.

“In these preliminary conversations, the striker, via his representatives, has been emphatic in his desire to represent Brazil at the Paris Olympic Games. The competition is not included in the FIFA Dates and, therefore, clubs are not obliged to release athletes for the event in France,” the report revealed.

“Competing in the football tournament at the Olympics is something that the player cannot give up – as long as, of course, he is called up by coach Ramon Menezes.

“A long-term project is also made a priority. Being on the rise in the heated European market, the boy from Vila has the luxury of not only worrying about the amounts involved in the transaction, but also about the conduct of his career in the future.”

“His ambition is to compete in a World Cup with the Brazilian team and, therefore, he understands that he needs to transfer to a club with great projection on the international scene, which offers him the necessary conditions and challenges to remain on coach Fernando Diniz’s radar.”

Marcos Leonardo can be inspired by Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli is currently thriving at Arsenal, in a side competing in the Champions League and at the top end of the Premier League.

He arrived from Ituano as a teenager four years ago, and has now become a starter for the Brazil National Team, and was part of the World Cup squad last year.

Should Leonardo make a move to Arsenal and perform well, he will put himself in a great position to join the National Team.

Leonardo would also not be worried about Arsenal potentially blocking a call-up to the Olympics this summer. Martinelli was part of the squad which won at the Olympics in 2021, and earned himself a Gold medal. Should the Santos forward be called up, it seems unlikely that Mikel Arteta would stop him from going.

If Arsenal is an option for Leonardo, he will have the opportunity to join a club with Edu Gaspar as sporting director, Gabriel Magalhaes in defence, Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus in attack, with Arsenal’s prominence in Brazil now rising.