An update has emerged on Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, regarding a potential move to Everton in January...

What's the talk?

According to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset, the Serie A giants want to offload the Brazilian and a swap deal involving Lucas Digne could be on the cards.

The report claims that the Old Lady need a new left-back to replace Alex Sandro and sending their out-of-favour ex-Barcelona gem to Goodison Park could allow them to strike a deal for one.

Rafa would love him

Everton must pounce on this opportunity to sign Arthur from Juventus as he could be an excellent addition to the team. If Rafa Benitez is set on Digne leaving then it could be ideal to, at least, get a player back in return for him to bolster the squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Arthur has not had the best of times in Turin, with just two league starts this season, but the £31.5m-rated gem has shown in the past that he has the quality to be a top performer and Benitez would surely love him.

His former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi previously lauded his talent and adaptability upon his arrival at the club, saying:

"Arthur I didn’t know that much about but he seems similar to Xavi. He’s very safe and trustworthy. He has the La Masia style. Playing short passes, without losing the ball, and he grasped it quickly, the dynamic of the team.”

In his last season for the Spanish giants, he averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.84 in La Liga as he played 21 times and chipped in with three goals and three assists from midfield. He also averaged a score of 6.97 in the Champions League that term, proving that he can perform to a high standard at the top level.

Rafa would love him at Goodison Park as he could be a steady midfield presence who can perform consistently in the middle of the park, as per Messi's comments on him being "trustworthy" and his statistics in his final year at Barcelona.

Of course, the beast's lack of game time for Juventus is alarming and it remains to be seen how quickly he will be able to adapt to life in England because of his recent bench-warming. However, if the Toffees can get him back to the levels he was showing in La Liga and the Champions League for Barcelona then they could have a top player on their hands.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Digne: Rafa may ruthlessly replace £119k-p/w gem as EFC transfer news emerges...