Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has seemed to suggest that he will soon discuss the potential signing of Jude Bellingham with Gunners chiefs.
The Borussia Dortmund starlet is expected to be at the centre of a large-scale bidding war as he continues to shine for both BVB and England at the age of 19.
The midfielder's stock has risen further following a strong World Cup period for England, who beat Iran 6-2 on the opening day with Bellingham scoring the opening goal.
During Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal in the last 16, Bellingham provided the assist for Jordan Henderson's opener and also played a key role in Harry Kane's strike just before the break.
Bellingham's performance was hailed by fans and pundits alike, and ex-Arsenal lynchpin Silva - a member of Arsenal's Invincibles in the 2003-04 season - also waxed lyrical about the teenager.
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The Brazilian tweeted: "Jude Bellingham reminds me of someone #ENGvsSEN #WorldCup2022 #WhatAPlayer," before another user replied "Have a word with Edu".
Silva replied with a thumbs up and OK emoji before also responding "Maybe" with a winking face when asked if he could mention the possibility of a deal to Arsenal's sporting director.
Arsenal are expected to be on the lookout for a new midfielder in 2023, having failed to bring in Youri Tielemans from Leicester City over the summer.
The Belgium international is out of contract at the end of the season and is expected to remain on the Gunners' radar, while they have also been strongly linked with a January move for Palmeiras' Danilo.
Paris Saint-Germain's Leandro Paredes and Juventus' Adrien Rabiot have also been mentioned as possible targets, and Arsenal are said to have joined the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt's Djibril Sow.
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Bellingham immediately established himself as a first-team regular after joining Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020, and he has now made 112 appearances for Edin Terzic's side in all tournaments.
The 19-year-old has scored 19 goals and set up 21 more for Dortmund over the past two years, including seven strikes and three assists from 22 games in the 2022-23 season.
Bellingham has also won one DFB-Pokal with Dortmund, who are supposedly after at least £129m to part ways with the England international, and it is difficult to imagine Arsenal bowing to their financial demands.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are thought to be the two leading contenders for Bellingham's signature, with neither Chelsea nor Manchester United still in the race, although Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with an interest.
However, Real Madrid are supposedly reluctant to pay more than £108m for Bellingham, meaning that the Reds have moved to the head of the queue.
Ben Knapton
