Arsenal are set to battle London rivals Chelsea for the signing of Athletico Paranaense goalkeeper Bento, who is also on the radar of Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Bento, 24, has established himself as Athletico Paranaense’s No.1 goalkeeper over the last two seasons and made his senior Brazil debut last month. With both Alisson Becker and Ederson Moraes injured, he started against both England and Spain in the friendlies. Several European clubs are keeping a very close eye on the highly-rated shot-stopper ahead of the summer transfer window.
Among those clubs are Arsenal and Chelsea, who have reportedly started to increase the pressure to secure Bento’s signature.
Arsenal, Chelsea keen on Bento
Premier League duo Arsenal and Chelsea are linked with the Brazil international, and they will consider a £12.9m fee as a bargain for someone who is highly rated in South America. Bento has been in excellent form of late, keeping seven clean sheets in the last 14 games for Athletico Paranaense.
Arsenal signed David Raya on loan from Brentford with an option to buy last summer. After a shaky start to life in north London, Raya has delivered some impressive displays and become the club’s new No.1, displacing Aaron Ramsdale from the first XI as a result.
Due to lack of game time, Ramsdale is expected to leave the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season. Arsenal could view Bento as a potential replacement for Ramsdale, who wants to play regularly to continue being a part of the England setup under Gareth Southgate.
Chelsea, meanwhile, started the season with Robert Sanchez in goal, but the Spaniard’s hamstring injury in December opened up an opportunity for Djordje Petrovic. And the Serbian shot-stopper has done a fine job in goal, and even after Sanchez’s return to the squad last month, Mauricio Pochettino has continued backing Petrovic.
Given the Blues have two decent goalkeepers in Sanchez and Petrovic, their links with Bento barely make any sense. However, if the club are looking for an upgrade on the error-prone Sanchez, then Bento could be a viable option. The two-cap Brazil international has the potential to provide quality cover and competition for Petrovic at Stamford Bridge.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
