Barcelona transfer news: Barca send scout to Brazil to watch defender also on Tottenham's radar

Portuguese executive Joao Amaral, Barcelona's head of scouting, was present at the Arena da Baixada to watch centre-back Arthur Dias, an Athletico Paranaense wonderkid recently called up to the Brazil national team. The executive serves as the right-hand man to sporting director Deco.

The executive's presence signals a growing connection between the Catalan club and the player's representatives. According to information gathered by UmDois Esportes, Barcelona have joined the extensive list of clubs interested in the 19-year-old defender.

Last week, the outlet TEAMtalk, citing information published by Spanish newspaper AS, confirmed that ten other European clubs had already made enquiries over Arthur Dias.

Those include four Premier League clubs, Brentford, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, one Spanish club, Atletico Madrid, two Italian clubs, Atalanta and Como, and two German clubs, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig.

However, Joao Amaral's trip to Brazil suggests Barcelona are set to enter the race, particularly against Tottenham. During this transfer window, Furacao rejected an offer worth £18m from the English club, for 80 per cent of the player's economic rights, according to information from ge.globo.

Among the factors contributing to the defender's growing international profile is his call-up by Ancelotti as part of the new Brazil national team cycle.

The defender ended a long wait for Furacao in that regard, and celebrated the news with a phone call to Rodrigo Bellao, the manager credited with transforming his position on the pitch.

To date, the defender has made 49 professional appearances and scored one goal, netted in last week's derby against Coritiba, shortly after his call-up.

Arthur Dias is under contract until December 2028, giving the club plenty of security in any negotiation. However, Mario Celso Petraglia has already made clear that the club will only agree to sell the player for a fee of at least £25.7 million.

Should offers reach that figure, Arthur Dias would become the biggest sale in the history of a player developed at the CT do Caju academy. That record is currently held by goalkeeper Bento, sold to Al-Nassr, of Saudi Arabia, in 2024, for £15.5m.

The club's hierarchy hopes Arthur can approach the fees seen in the biggest transfers involving Brazilian centre-backs. The move of Vitor Reis, from Palmeiras to Manchester City, for example, was completed for £30m. Meanwhile, the sale of Lucas Beraldo, from Sao Paulo to PSG, in France, in 2023, was made for £16m.

Another rising name within the Furacao squad is Colombian forward Kevin Viveros. The number 9 is currently the outright top scorer in the 2026 Brasileirao, with 18 goals, and has attracted interest from Aston Villa and Sunderland, two more English clubs.

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