Romano reveals Arteta is a "big fan" of dynamic player who would be "perfect" for Arsenal

Prominent journalist Fabrizio Romano has outlined Barcelona winger Raphinha as a player who he believes would be perfect for Arsenal - and says that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a fan.

Raphinha signed for Leeds from French club Rennes in 2020, and went on to score 17 goals and provide 12 assists in 65 Premier League appearances.

He became one of the Yorkshire club's most important players, leading to interest from some of Europe's biggest club.

After a long transfer saga, he eventually signed for Barcelona last summer for an initial fee of £49 million. Questions were asked over how Barca could afford the fee, given their long-standing financial problems.

Nonetheless, Xavi's side were able to beat off competition to secure the coveted signing of the 25-year-old.

One of the interested clubs was Arsenal, but Arteta's side had to look elsewhere. They did sign a winger, bringing in 19-year-old Marquinhos from Brazilian side Sao Paulo.

But whilst he is certainly a top prospect for the future, Arsenal missed out on a player that would have been ideal for the here and now.

Romano opens up on Arsenal/Raphinha interest

Speaking as part of his latest CaughtOffside column, Romano expressed more detail about Arsenal's interest in Raphinha, and how highly rated he was at the club.

The Brazilian hasn't quite hit the ground running at Barca so far. He has scored one goal and provided one assist in nine La Liga games, and has only completed 90 minutes on one occasion this season.

But Romano believes there is far more to come.

He explained: "He's a top player in a top club, and so I think it's a matter of time for Raphinha to find his feet at Barcelona.

"Having said that, he would've been the perfect kind of player for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, who is a big fan."

Romano made similar comments to CaughtOffside in June, when talking about Arteta's admiration of Raphinha before his Barca move: "I know that Arteta is really in love with Raphinha, but Tottenham and Chelsea are absolutely in the race."