Mikel Arteta and Michael Carrick are reportedly chasing the same January target. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have made initial contact with intermediaries over Evanilson, according to The Hard Tackle, which cites German outlet Fussball News.
Neither club has opened formal negotiations with Bournemouth. The report is a secondary one, built on agent-level enquiries rather than confirmed interest from either club.
What is not in dispute is the price tag. Bournemouth are understood to want €65m (£54.4m) to even entertain an offer, close to double the €35m market value cited in the original report. The south-coast club have no financial pressure to sell, and the 27-year-old is contracted until June 2029.
Why both clubs are circling
Arsenal’s issue is well known. Viktor Gyokeres, the headline summer signing, has been limited to a handful of substitute minutes this season, and Mikel Arteta has preferred Kai Havertz as the central striker in the opening weeks of the Premier League champions’ title defence. An alternative at the top of the pitch is on the recruitment agenda.
Manchester United’s situation is more straightforward. Benjamin Sesko has been managing injury issues, and head coach Michael Carrick is said to want more depth in attack and a recognised number nine profile to lead the line. Joshua Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain, and Jean-Philippe Mateta has also been linked.
The Brazilian’s case
Evanilson joined Bournemouth from Porto in 2024 in a club-record deal. The move has worked. He scored 18 league goals in 74 appearances across his first two seasons and has started 2026-27 with two goals and four assists in his first seven Premier League matches, including a goal in Bournemouth’s 5-1 defeat at Chelsea on 10 October.
He is a traditional centre-forward who can hold up the ball, press from the front and compete in the air, a profile that fits Arteta’s demands on his number nine and plugs a gap in Carrick’s squad.
A debut European season on the south coast
Evanilson is also enjoying his first taste of continental football with Bournemouth, who qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history after finishing sixth last season. Marco Rose’s side have won their opening two league-phase matches, beating Real Sociedad away and Sturm Graz at home.
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That European platform is one reason Bournemouth are not minded to sell in January. Any club wanting Evanilson mid-season will have to pay a premium to prise him off a side still competing on three fronts.
The next Premier League test comes at Manchester United on 25 October, with Evanilson expected to lead the Bournemouth attack at Old Trafford.
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