Fabio Vieira arrived at Arsenal as a gamble on the future. Aged just 22, the Portuguese midfielder signed for the Gunners after excelling at FC Porto. The London board paid around €40 million in 2022 for a player who, in theory, could bring creativity and vision to the midfield. However, the player never quite settled into Mikel Arteta’s system. For two full seasons, he accumulated minutes without achieving continuity or specific weight. The loan to his home club came as no surprise to anyone. What has been surprising, however, has been his development in the second half of the current season.

Now, according to a report by Jornal De Noticias, FC Porto not only wants to keep Vieira until after the FIFA Club World Cup. They also intend to start talks with Arsenal to acquire him as a free agent. So far this season, the midfielder has made 38 appearances, with five goals and five assists, and has been more influential since January.

This recovery in his performance has pushed the Dragões to look for a permanent deal. The current loan does not include an option to buy, so the Portuguese will have to negotiate from scratch with the Londoners, who would already be open to selling the player this summer.

FC Porto will soon approach Arsenal over a possible summer deal for 24-year-old

From Arsenal’s point of view, Fabio Vieira’s departure seems inevitable. The player has not lived up to expectations since his arrival at the Emirates and has fallen behind in the rotation, especially with the emergence of Declan Rice and the consolidation of Martin Ødegaard. It would make no sense to keep a player who doesn’t quite fit in.

Moreover, if Porto are willing to pay a reasonable sum, the Gunners should close the deal as soon as possible and free up space in the squad. Ideally, they would like to recoup most of the initial investment, although that depends on the negotiating margin and the Portuguese club’s finances.

However, there is another interesting angle to this story. Arsenal could use Porto’s interest as an opportunity to probe for a more strategic deal. Instead of just looking for money, why not negotiate for a promising academy player or include clauses that would benefit the English in future sales? Porto has been a constant factory of talent, and there may be room to manoeuvre intelligently. For example, including preferential rights to a young winger or midfielder at the Portuguese club may be more useful than a traditional transfer.