Arsenal Transfer News: Joao Mario Wanted Amid Manchester United Rumours

Arsenal will reportedly attempt to "hijack" Manchester United's attempts to sign Sporting Lisbon's Joao Mario. 

According to Luca Bargellini of Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb (h/t the Daily Star's Jamie Styles), United scouted the midfielder earlier in the season, but Arsenal will "try their luck" by making an offer for him, though he reportedly has a £55 million buyout clause.

Mario has attracted widespread attention from Europe's elite, with Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid also named as interested parties.

Sporting youth coach Tiago Capaz has given the 23-year-old rave reviews, according to Styles: "I have no idea what his limit is. Week by week he gets better and better. He’s standing out in a team that’s top of the table, plays good football and scores lots of goals."

Mario broke into Portugal's senior side in October 2014 and has since gone on to earn eight caps. He made an impressive impact during the recent international break, per Portuguese football writer Jan Hagen:

The midfielder impressed during last year's under-21 European Championship with several man-of-the-match-winning, all-action performances as he showcased his exceptional distribution and ability to win back possession via both tackling and intercepting, per WhoScored.com.

He is enjoying an excellent season with Sporting, bagging six goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances across the league and the UEFA Europa League. Here's a look at some of his best moments:

Per Hagen, his outstanding form has been rewarded in Liga NOS:

Portuguese newspaper A Bola ranked him alongside Benfica starlet Renato Sanches in a number of different categories and his ratings were highly impressive, per Hagen:

Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe is also an admirer of his talents:

There's space for a player in his mould at Arsenal, who would do well to clear out a number of midfielders in the summer—the ageing and injury prone Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky, and the unreliable Mathieu Flamini at least.

In Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny the Gunners have players who can help protect the back four and regain possession for their side. Mario certainly doesn't shirk his defensive duties and going forward he can be a real threat as he's proven this season.

However, Arsenal aren't likely to come close to meeting his release clause—and as good as Mario is, that may be a wise decision as £55 million can buy an established world-class talent—but according to Portuguese newspaper Record (h/t Hagen), Sporting boss Jorge Jesus is determined to keep him.

In that case, prising him away will be exceptionally difficult, and he may still require a large outlay to secure, particularly with so many other suitors likely to pursue him.