According to reports today, Arsenal are set to just miss out on the signing of Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva as he seemed destined for a move to the Bernabeu with Real Madrid.

Silva is highly rated by Wenger and was on the manager’s wish list for some time, but it seems the La Liga champions are going to beat the Gunners to the punch.

The midfielder has been headhunted by the Spanish side as a possible replacement for Xabi Alonso who left for Bayern Munich in the summer.

The South American has made 33 appearances for Cruzeiro this season and has been in top form this season, and has since been targeted by some big clubs in Europe. He has quickly become a key player for the Brazilian side, putting in some starring performances in the process.

This will come as a huge blow to Arsenal as a midfielder with the defensive capabilities of Lucas Silva, is exactly what Arsenal were looking for as this is the area the Gunners are lacking most in. Francis Coquelin has certainly eased the strain for the time being, putting in some fantastic performances however his cover in Mathieu Flamini is far from consistent in his performances.

Arsene Wenger has just recently announced the signing of Legia Warsaw wonder kid Krystian Bielik who plays a similar position so perhaps this could be a reason they were not desperate to sign Silva.

According to the latest press conference, Wenger wants to put Bielik straight into the first team with the hope of playing him as a defensive midfielder:

”Defensive midfield, without any question,” he replied, when asked on his plans to utilise the Pole.