Arsenal have reportedly scouted Brazilian wonderkid Ramires six times ahead of a potential January move to the Emirates.
The 18-year-old, full name Eric dos Santos Rodrigues, plays in midfield for Bahia in Brazil and is also attracting interest from Atletico Madrid.
He has played nine times in the Brazilian top flight and reports in South America suggest he could be set for a switch to Arsenal in the winter window.
While Bahia are understood to be ready to knock back any approach from a domestic rival, they are said to be willing to sanction a move abroad, with north London Ramires’ ‘most likely’ destination.
It has also been revealed that Adidas, who have signed a big-money kit deal with Arsenal from next season, visited Ramires recently to discuss a partnership.
"This is not the representative of the sports equipment company that normally talks to the athletes," a representative from Bahia said.
Adidas had travelled from Europe to meet with Ramires in a bid to sign the player to terms on a global contract.
Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal’s new head of football, has a lot of contacts in South America having played a big role in Neymar’s transfer from Santos to Barcelona .
But he has previously stated that he does not expect the Gunners to do much business in January.
"I don’t believe much in the winter window," he said. "There are exceptions but if you have the right plan in the summer and the team are performing at the level you expect, you should not go to that window or try to avoid it.
"It’s there for emergencies, a big injury or if something is really not working and you need to recover there. I give much more importance to the summer windows."
Arsenal are in action on Thursday night as they host Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates in the Europa League.
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