Corinthians have set their asking price for highly rated youngster Breno Bidon, who has been heavily linked with Arsenal this January.
Bidon is considered one of the most exciting young talents in Brazilian football having played an instrumental role in Corinthians’ Copa do Brasil triumph last season.
The 20-year-old central midfielder also enjoyed success at international level just 12 months ago when he helped Brazil win the South American Under-20 Championship for a record 13th time.
It’s believed Bidon’s outstanding performances for both club and country have not gone unnoticed both within Brazil – with Flamengo said to be admirers – and in Europe, with top teams in Italy and Portugal beginning to circle.
Arsenal have also been credited with a strong interest and have reportedly made contact with Corinthians’ management to ‘seek information’ regarding Bidon’s potential availability.
According to ESPN Brasil, Corinthians are already resigned to losing Bidon and have begun scouring the transfer market for a replacement, identifying Wolfsburg’s Vinicius Souza as a possible loan option.
Though Bidon has established himself as a key figure in Dorival Junior’s side, Corinthians’ hierarchy are bracing themselves for a host of offers from Europe ‘in the coming weeks’ and know the playmaker’s head could be turned.
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The report claims the Sao Paulo club would be willing to negotiate a transfer deal for Bidon should they receive an offer in the region of R$150million (£20.8m) for their prized possession.
At this stage, no formal proposals have been tabled for Bidon – but a bidding war could erupt if one of the Brazilian’s many potential suitors decides to make the first move.
At a press conference last week, Corinthians head coach Junior stressed just how ‘important’ Bidon was to his plans going forward.
Pressed on the recent transfer rumours surrounding Bidon, Junior told reporters: ‘He’s a very important player and if I’m being honest with you, I wouldn’t like to lose any player.
‘We need to find balance so we can have a strong squad throughout the year.
‘That is our biggest challenge.’
Bidon has been with Corinthians since Under-17 level and is tied into a contract with his boyhood team until December 31 2029.
Before the January transfer window opened for business, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta confirmed that the club would be ‘actively looking’ at ways to improve the first-team squad.
‘The window is there and I mean we are Arsenal and we have to be looking at it, “Okay, what do we need?”, and we have to be actively looking,’ he said.
‘And then, whether we can do it or not, that’s a different story.
‘But our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen, so hopefully it’ll be very positive.
‘When you look across the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players.
‘Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of them not avoidable, we want to be better and we know how important the part of having the right availability with players is going to be this season.’
Having splashed out in excess of £250m on new recruits last summer, though, it appears unlikely the Gunners will spend big on any high-profile signings before the January deadline.
However, there has been some movement when it comes to outgoings, with ‘positive talks’ in place for Ethan Nwaneri to join Marseille on loan for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, meanwhile, is expected to depart Arsenal on a permanent basis, with Ajax working to close a deal for the Ukraine international.
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