Ibrahima Bamba: Agent responds to claims of 'imminent' Arsenal transfer

The agent of Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Ibrahima Bamba has downplayed suggestions that the 20-year-old is close to sealing a January transfer to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Bamba has had a strong season with Vitoria in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, having made the step up to first-team level in the closing stages of the 2021/22 campaign.

Links to Arsenal were fuelled by a report in Portugal this week, describing a transfer as ‘imminent’ and citing the fact that the Italian youngster’s agent had even been spotted in London.

Filipe Macedo Alves has now confirmed that he was indeed in London, but insists it was other business unrelated to Bamba’s future.

“It’s true that I was in London, but I am just arriving from Germany, where I was watching Edmond Tapsoba’s game,” Alves told Portuguese publication O Jogo.

“Bamba is not the only player I work with. He’s a player profile that is clearly of interest to many clubs, but today he is a Vitoria player and is only focused on Monday’s game in Chaves. The market is open, but I’m not going to feed rumours.”

Arsenal have already been active in the January transfer window, bringing in winger Leandro Trossard and centre-back Jakub Kiwior. But Mikel Arteta recently expressed a desire to add another midfielder to his squad before the transfer deadline on Tuesday.

“We need some more cover in midfield ideally if we can, but in this market it is pretty complicated to do that,” the Gunners boss explained.

Arsenal have had a £60m offer rejected for Brighton star Moises Caicedo, with the Seagulls reluctant to sell their prized asset this month and no desire to entertain further bids.

Initial interest has also been shown in Juventus and United States midfielder Weston McKennie after he was offered around to various sides by the Serie A giants. But Leeds appear most likely to secure a deal after entering advanced talks, with Juve confident an agreement will be reached.

On this edition of TCOAG, Harry Symeou is joined by Arsenal presenter Nicole Holliday to preview Man City vs Arsenal in the FA Cup, discuss the transfer window, our midfield needs, Leandro Trossard & more! A more informal preview show than usual but it was plenty of fun! If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!