Arsenal 'keeping tabs on Brazilian defender Douglas Mendes'

The 19-year-old was a product of the Ponte Preta before being signed by Red Bull Bragantino in 2022, although he left after just one season to join sister club Salzburg - renowned for their development of young players - in Austria.

Mendes - who has also enjoyed spells with FC Liefering in the Austrian Bundesliga - is still waiting to make his Salzburg debut, though, and he was loaned back out to Bragantino for the 2024 season in January.

The defender only has a humble five appearances to boast for the Brazilian outfit, but he has earned his stars at international level and won the Under-20 South American Championship with Brazil last year.

Mendes was subsequently called up to his nation's Under-20 World Cup squad and played the full 120 minutes in his side's quarter-final showdown with Israel, which ended in a 3-2 defeat after extra time.

Mendes, who stands at 6ft 2in tall, does not see his Salzburg contract expire until the summer of 2028, but according to FootballTransfers, the 2004-born starlet has now caught Arsenal's eye.

Gunners sporting director and fellow Brazilian Edu is apparently a keen admirer of Mendes, although the Salzburg man currently does not meet the experience threshold required for a UK work permit.

As a result, a move to bring Mendes to the Emirates Stadium is currently seen as impossible, but the door could swing open if the teenager increases his first-team minutes with Bragantino in the coming months.

The Gunners have conducted rigorous searches of South America to unearth young talent over the past few years, culminating in deals to bring attacking duo Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos to the Emirates.

The former was playing in the Brazilian fourth tier with Ituano before signing for the Gunners, with whom he has now amassed 41 goals and 24 assists in 162 matches, and his form was rewarded with a new long-term contract until 2027 last year.

However, Marquinhos has not had the same impact and is now in his third loan spell away from the club at Fluminense, who also possess the option to bring him back to his homeland permanently.

Due to injuries to Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mikel Arteta has often been left short of defensive cover this season, forcing the Spaniard to deploy Jakub Kiwior as a left-back.

While the Pole has grown into the role, Arteta has lacked natural replacements for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of defence, and clubs in Italy have been credited with an interest in bringing Kiwior back to Serie A.

The former Spezia man once again started out wide in Saturday's 2-1 win over Brentford, although Zinchenko came off the bench in the second half of that encounter following his latest calf concern.

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table on goal difference thanks to Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Manchester City and now prepare to welcome Porto to the Emirates for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.