Three Arsenal officials made a “special visit” to tour Flamengo’s training facilities and stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, according to EL Futebolero Brasil.

The website claims that the Gunners weren’t only there as tourists, though, as they registered their interest in two of Flamengo’s players.

One of them, Joao Gomes, has also been heavily linked with Liverpool, and it is believed that only a request for “information” was made as they know they are not frontrunners for the 21-year-old’s signature.

In fact, El Futerbolero go as far as to say that Arsenal have prioritised Palmeiras’s Danilo when it comes to signing a holding midfielder ahead of the January transfer window.

The other player who reportedly “pleased” the Gunners’ representatives was Matheus Franca. The 18-year-old is an attacking midfielder, who has only made 18 senior appearances for Flamengo, having been given his first-team debut at the end of last year.