FABIO VIEIRA is set to return to Porto on loan from Arsenal.
And talks are ongoing to work out whether to include an option to make the transfer permanent in the paperwork.
The 24-year-old was not part of the Gunners’ squad that travelled to Villa Park to face Aston Villa today with the deal in advanced stages.
Vieira arrived in North London in July 2022 from the Portuguese giants for £35million but has failed to break into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI in his 49 appearances in all competitions so far.
Arteta has told Vieira that he will not be in his plans this season.
That is especially due to the arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad and the emergence of academy star Ethan Nwaneri.
The Gunners splashed out an initial £28.4m on Merino while Nwaneri hopes to build on his emergence as the Premier League’s youngest-ever player.
The Enfield star, still only 17, was born in 2007 and came on for Vieira against Brentford in September 2022 aged just 15 years and 181 days.
And Vieira will hope a return to his homeland will revive his dreams of returning to the Emirates to demand a place in Arteta’s title-charging Arsenal side.
SunSport understands there is the potential for a clause allowing the Portuguese club to keep him beyond the end of the season.
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And Porto are set to cover Vieira’s salary.
Vieira featured in 15 matches across all competitions for Arsenal in the 2023-24 campaign, scoring once and adding three assists.
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Despite returning from groin surgery in February, he managed only 57 top-flight minutes and was an unused substitute in 14 of Arsenal’s last 17 fixtures.
His last start for Arsenal was in the Carabao Cup last November.
He figured during Arsenal’s pre-season schedule but was not involved in their opening-weekend victory over Wolves.
