Arsenal "determined" to sign Barcelona goalkeeper after missing out in January - Reports

Arsenal are determined to sign Barcelona's Brazilian goalkeeper Neto after missing out on him in January, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Barca Blaugranes).

Arsenal wanted to sign Neto from Barcelona in January. However, a deal could not materialize back then. Now, despite having Bernd Leno and Runar Alex Runarsson, the Gunners are keen on adding Neto to their squad.

The reason for Arsenal's interest in the Barcelona stop-stopper is because Mikel Arteta considers Neto to be good with his feet and could start an attack from the back.

Barcelona, on the other hand, were planning to offload Neto in the ongoing summer transfer window. However, due to a long-term injury to Barcelona number one Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Neto could still feature for Blaugrana despite not being in Ronald Koeman's plans.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could do with a new number one following an error-hit season for German goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

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Arsenal are said to be looking at Barcelona goalkeeper Netohttps://t.co/jhuJDaQOLK

— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) July 20, 2021

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Arsenal are not the only club chasing Neto from Barcelona

Despite not getting much game time last season, Arsenal are not the only Premier League side interested in signing the Barcelona goalkeeper. North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with a move for the Brazilian goalkeeper.

Having struggled for regular game time in the last two seasons, a move to the Premier League could be the only wait out for Neto. Despite interest from two Premier League clubs, Neto's agent believes a move to Arsenal could be the best option for the 32-year-old goalkeeper.

However, the move has not taken any shape as of now. According to the aforementioned source, both Arsenal and Barcelona have a long way to go to make the move work.

Neto has just made 17 appearances for Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Arsenal could take advantage of Barcelona's bleak financial situation. Due to the ongoing global pandemic, the Catalan giants have suffered drastically and could be forced to sell some of their fringe players at a reduced price.

According to Transfermarkt, Neto is valued at just €6 million which is a risk Arsenal could afford to take going into the new season. However, with Neto being 32 years old, signing the Barcelona goalkeeper is not a long-term solution for Arsenal as they look to have a massive squad overhaul this summer.

Arsenal and Spurs both want Neto, but Neto only wants Arsenal… https://t.co/xKW5qYIlUn

— Football365 (@F365) July 20, 2021

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