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It has been claimed that Ligue 1 powerhouse Monaco has contacted Arsenal to discuss a possible loan agreement for Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira.
The 23-year-old made his way to North London in the summer of 2022 after finishing his final season with Porto in the Primeira Liga with 14 assists, which he shared with Rafa Silva of Benfica for the most assists of any player in the division.
Due to intense competition for spots, Vieira has only been a rotational player for Arsenal since the club paid £30 million to recruit him, beating out Manchester United.
The Portugal Under-21 international prefers to play at number 10, although Mikel Arteta’s clear favourite in the creative role is Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka is also among the first names on the roster on the right flank.
In Arteta’s formation, Vieira has occasionally filled a deeper midfield role, but he is also ranked behind Kai Havertz in the engine room hierarchy. Emile Smith Rowe is also competing for more playing time in an effort to put his fitness issues behind him.
Because of this, Vieira has only been able to make five starts in the Premier League in the last year and a half. He also only made three substitute appearances in the Champions League group stage this season before sustaining a significant groyne injury.
Although there is no set timeline for the former Porto player’s recovery, a return in February is not out of the question. He has been in the treatment room since having surgery at the end of November.
FootballTransfers believes that despite Vieira’s extended absence from the field and lack of starts, Monaco is interested in loaning him out for the duration of the season.
During the summer, the Gunners conducted business with their counterparts in the Principality. After American striker Folarin Balogun’s breakthrough season with Reims, the Gunners sold Balogun to Les Monegasques for £25.7 million.
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Balogun hasn’t been as productive as he was at Stade Auguste-Delaune, but he still has four goals and four assists in 15 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco, who are now fourth in the standings.
The article does, however, add that Vieira is being courted by an additional unidentified French team, and Arsenal is open to losing players before the January transfer market closes on Thursday.
Though Vieira’s future development is still seen highly by Gunners officials, any transfer is anticipated to be a straight loan agreement with no buyout clause or commitment.
Since joining Arsenal, the former Porto player has contributed three goals and ten assists in 46 senior games. In 13 games this 2023–24 season, he has already scored once and set up four more.
However, Vieira’s most recent game wearing an Arsenal uniform was forgettable as he was substituted in just 24 minutes after coming off the bench in a 3-1 win over Burnley on November 11.
