While Arsenal seem to be mostly busy with keeping Robin van Persie or at least getting the most out of his approaching departure, Arsene Wenger is also thinking signings. Santos’ unsettled midfielder,  Paulo Henrique Ganso, is probably the biggest name currently on the gunners’ to-do list.

Arsenal have already made a couple of big signings, attacking signings, with or without anything to do with Van Persie’s desire to leave the club. If you know Arsenal and the balance of power in English football, it was pretty obvious the situation of Van Persie looking to leave a year before his contract runs out, despite enjoying the best season of his career, would come up.

So Arsenal are trying to be busy in the transfer market – Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski have already arrived. Now, Arsenal, usually known for their defensive problems and not their problems with style, passing and scoring goals, are looking at bringing in the talented midfielder, another one of many young Brazilian talents who will be in London this summer for the 2012 Olympic football tournament.

Ganso is actually an old man when he’s compared with Oscar (Chelsea?), Lucas (Manchester United?) and Neymar, his Santos teammate. Arsenal have now simply joined the trend, knowing that in order to keep up with the big boys, Arsenal need a Brazilian talent of their own. Seriously, Ganso just looks like a really good buy, especially when he’s announced that he’s not planning on playing anymore for Santos, refusing to renew his contract that runs out in a couple of years.

Arsenal are interested, yes, but there are others. He has a €50 million buyout clause in his contract but Santos will take less, much less – not a fee that will be prohibitive to a deal in England. The reason is that he doesn’t have long left on his contract, two years at the most, and he is not signing a new one, so it’s time to sell him.

Ganso has won the last three Paulista titles with Santos but most importantly came the Libertadores trophy in 2011. He has scored 35 goals in 157 appearances for the club since beginning his professional career in 2008, also making the Brazilian national team, playing for the selecao 8 times. Like many Brazilian players, his economic rights are shared between his club, Santos, and a sport agency, in this case, Group DIS. Because of his drop in form since the win in the Libertadores cup, many claim that Ganso is already a washed up wonderkid, before his 23rd birthday.