Arsenal may have been dealt a blow in their bid to land Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia.
The Gunners are in the market for a creative midfielder this month and Buendia fits the bill, able to play both in the middle and out wide.
The Argentine impressed in the Premier League last season and has continued his form in the Championship this term following Norwich's relegation, scoring seven goals and providing six assists and is up for the division's player of the month for December.
The Canaries have managed to keep hold of Buendia until now, with manager Daniel Farke insistent he'll be remaining at Carrow Road, but there has been repeated talk he could leave for Arsenal in a £40million deal during this window.
And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently delivered an update on the potential deal, claiming the Gunners are in contact.
“Yes, I think, Buendia is a name for sure," he told GiveMeSport. "He is appreciated and they’re working with their scouts going many miles to scout him to look at him and he’s in the list. He’s not the only name.
“They are in contact with the agent, but they are still waiting to sell players because if you don’t sell players in this market, it is impossible to sign new ones.”
But in a fresh twist, it seems Arsenal have competition. It was claimed earlier this week that another club from Europe's top five leagues is interested in Buendia.
And La Razon have claimed Valencia are the team in the mix for the midfielder, despite spending conservatively in recent years and slipping to the bottom half of La Liga as a result.
Though, when it comes to the fee, Arsenal themselves may have an issue with £40m proving a challenge for many clubs during the current circumstances which has seen the Gunners take out a £120m short-term loan with the Bank of England.
Arsenal say that loan does not impact the amount of money Arteta has to spend during this window, but the Spaniard will, no doubt, be on a budget, and that's what could have lead him to sign Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt instead amid reports the German could be available for £25m.
But that now seems very unlikely due to Dortmund losing midfielder Alex Witsel to injury, perhaps leaving Arsenal with only Buendia, which could see them rely on the hope of completing swap deal featuring either Joe Willock or Reiss Nelson.
