Arsenal and West Ham have both asked about the possibility of signing Zenit midfielder Wendel this summer, but Brazilian club Flamengo seem best placed to get his hands on him.
The 24-year-old is looking for a transfer away from Zenit after FIFA and UEFA banned Russian clubs from the competition and he wants to reach an agreement with them on his departure.
Brazilian publication Globo Reporting that both Arsenal and West Ham have been in touch about a possible move, but also state that Flamengo is confident of closing a deal.
The midfielder started his career with Fulminense and soon earned a move to Europe with Sporting where he won the Portuguese title in 2021.
Zenit brought him to Russia the same year for £17million and he has won the Russian league since his arrival, but he doesn’t look like he will be able to live up to the contract he signed, which runs until 2025.
The midfielder has yet to be capped by the Brazil senior team, but has played 12 times for the Under-23.
West Ham have had a frustrating transfer window so far, with big moves that are hard to achieve.
They have recruited Nayef Aguerd from Rennes and Alphonse Areola from PSG but have so far failed in moves for the lies of Armando Broja and Jesse Lingard.
Arsenal have brought in Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus, Marquinhos and Matt Turner and are now also expected to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.
As the Ukrainian likes to play in midfield rather than left-back, where he was regularly played by Pep Guardiola, his likely arrival may have deterred the Gunners from going for Wendel.
LAKE : Granit Xhaka assesses Arsenal summer signing Gabriel Jesus
LAKE : Chelsea ready to complete the signing of highly regarded Arsenal youngster Omari Hutchinson
For more stories like this, check our sports page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news about
facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
