As they often say, you must explore every avenue if you are to get what you desire, and it appears that Arsenal technical director Edu is doing exactly that.
The Brazilian is in for a busy summer as Mikel Arteta instructs him and his recruitment team to strengthen the squad with players that will take it to the much desired next level.
Fabio Vieira and Matt Turner are expected to follow Marquinhos through the door this week, while talks continue over bringing in Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. There's also strong interest in Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, who would provide cover in defence and midfield should he join.
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However, potential business doesn't stop there as Arsenal are hoping to conclude a deal for Leeds United winger, Raphinha with the help of super-agent Jorge Mendes. The Telegraph claim that Vieira and Raphinha are represented by the same agency, Gestifute, which is run by Mendes himself.
It's added that the smoothness of negotiations to sign Vieira from FC Porto, which Mendes led, could now assist the club in talks for Raphinha.
Barcelona have been heavily linked with the player, but ongoing financial struggles are making any potential deal difficult to complete. Now it appears Arsenal are looking to take advantage, with various reports suggesting they are stepping up their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
This wouldn't be the first time Arsenal have looked to exploit transfer dealings through super-agents. Edu has previously worked closely with Kia Joorabchian, who played a major role in negotiations for David Luiz, Willian and Cedric Soares.
Despite these deals going through with reasonable ease due to the connection, the transfers of Luiz and Willian, in particular, led to calls for dealings involving Joorabchian to be stopped.
Since then, Arsenal's transfer strategy has changed drastically and a much more thought-out process appears to be in place with age, potential, quality and character all at the forefront of identifying targets.
Thankfully, Mendes' agency represents some of the biggest and most exciting names in the game, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Darwin Nunez, so the good thing about working with him is that you have a decent chance of landing a top player.
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