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Arsenal's mighty wallet of theoretical spending money has reportedly survived another scare - it looks like the Brazil winger Bernard could be going to the Ukraine instead of the Emirates.

Bad news for Tottenham and Liverpool too - both clubs were reckoned to be sniffing around the South American phenomenon after he broke into the Brazil team last year with a wand in his foot and the sun in his hair.

Everyone noticed, and according to a report in the Metro newspaper, Bernard's club Atletico Mineiro have now accepted a bid from the Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk for the 20-year-old flyer.

Atletico president Alexandre Kalil reportedly said: "It’s Shakhtar. They’ve reached the price we want. If he [Bernard] wants to go, he’ll go."

(Image: Alex Livesey - FIFA)

That's still a sizeable 'if', with the winger thought to have his heart set on a switch to Porto - the club recommended to him by his Brazil pal Hulk.

Bernard's father Delio Duarte was telling Brazil media recently: "Hulk has convinced Bernard that Porto would be better for him at this stage of his career."

All in all it looks like the end of Arsenal's interest, though Arsene Wenger has publicly played that down.

Metro report that the lad himself has called it as a straight fight between Porto and Shakhtar now after the Ukrainian bid was accepted. Bernard said: "I don’t know if it will be best for me, I’m talking with my family.

"But nothing is certain yet. I had a meeting with the president and he told me what Shakhtar offered him and myself. It is between Porto and Shakhtar."

Plenty more fish in the sea, but can they do this?

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Want more of what you can't have? Here's our Football Spy special on the scurrier, back when he was mostly known as 'Tottenham target Bernard'.