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Arsenal were offered the opportunity to sign Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo before Liverpool signed him this summer as per The Athletic.
Arsenal were in the market for a midfielder in the final days of the transfer window. Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are ruled out for at least a few weeks with thigh and hamstring injuries respectively.
The Gunners tried to sign Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz on deadline day (September 1) but Aston Villa rebuffed a late bid of £25 million plus add-ons.
The north London side eventually chose to settle with the squad at their disposal despite Elneny and Partey's injuries.
Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga started in Arsenal's 3-1 defeat against Manchester United on Saturday (September 4).
Liverpool, on the other hand, beat Arsenal to Arthur's signature to address their injury-stricken midfield. They signed the Brazilian on a season-long loan from Juventus.
According to journalist James Pearce, the club paid a loan fee in the region of £4 million for Arthur with an option to buy for £32 million next summer.
The Merseyside outfit opted to sign the former Barcelona man due to injuries to their prominent midfielders. Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all currently nursing injuries.
Earlier this month, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp shed light on the situation of his recovering players. He told the club's official website:
"It's a muscle injury [for Keita]. For him a muscle injury, Ox is a muscle injury and they will be out for a while."
He added:
"Hendo, we don't know yet. Thiago is the closest from all [of them]. I think the start of the week, next week, he will be in team training."
Arthur is expected to feature in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League Group A opener against Napoli on Wednesday (September 7). Fabinho, Harvey Elliott and James Milner are the other midfielders who are currently available in their squad.
Arthur Melo opens up on his feelings after sealing Liverpool move
Upon joining the Merseyside outfit, Arthur expressed his excitement at donning the famous Liverpool jersey. He told the club's website:
"I'm really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it's a dream."
Arthur, 26, joined Juventus from Barcelona in a deal worth up to £71 million in the summer of 2020. Known for his passing and dribbling, the Brazilian has registered one goal and one assist in 63 games across competitions for the Old Lady. He has won two trophies in the process.
