£34m player’s situation is Arsenal’s most bizarre saga of the summer

With two weeks left in the transfer window, Arsenal still have plenty of work to do.

The champions of England’s most significant signing is Bruno Guimaraes, which in itself dragged on for weeks.

But Mikel Arteta is still in need of a level-raising attacking player following the failed pursuit of Vinicius Jr.

Alongside that, he also wants to add defensive reinforcement, with talks for Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa both ongoing.

Andrea Berta is simultaneously trying to find solutions for a number of outgoings, most notably two or three names that are clearly not in the manager’s plans for next season.

Perhaps the most baffling case of those is Fabio Vieira, who, somehow, is still at Arsenal.

Why has the baffling Fabio Vieira saga dragged on so long?

With just over two weeks of the transfer window remaining, Vieira is still training with the squad at London Colney.

In fact, bizarrely, the £34million signing from Porto has featured in every single pre-season game this summer.

Does that suggest his standing has changed and he might be part of Arteta’s plans now? No, certainly not.

It is quite farcical, but hopefully, a resolution is just around the corner.

Hamburg want him back after having him on loan last season, and the player is keen on returning, having already agreed personal terms.

But the sticking point, as is so often this summer, is the fee. Andrea Berta is holding out for around €18million, while Hamburg are trying to get the deal done for closer to €10million.

Those figures tell you everything you need to know about how dramatically Vieira’s value has fallen since Arsenal paid £34million for him in 2022.

Fresh talks are expected in the coming days, with Hamburg having generated additional funds from the sale of Fabio Balde to Racing Strasbourg.

It is anticipated that eventually, Vieira will return to Hamburg before the September 1st deadline, but it is taking far longer than it should have.

And he’s not the only one, with Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson both in similar boats.

But they earn more at Arsenal than they will at their next club, and they get to train using some of the best facilities in Europe, in one of the best cities in the world. Why rush out the door before you absolutely have to?

But at 26, Vieira’s next move is arguably his most important one, possibly his last opportunity to secure a big contract.

Hopefully, for his and Arsenal’s sake, the end of this saga is imminent.