Arsenal have suffered a minor transfer blow as Tammy Abraham alternative Odsonne Edouard looks set to be subject of an imminent £20million bid from Brighton.
Edouard, 23, has been tentatively linked to the Gunners as Mikel Arteta is keen on adding another forward to his squad for next season.
Our sister outlet Glasgow Live has reported that Celtic are bracing themselves for an official bid from the Seagulls for their prized asset in the coming days.
With the future of Alexandre Lacazette up in the air, the acquisition of another forward may well come to the forefront of Arsenal's transfer strategy now in this window.
Edu and co. have already secured the signings of full-back Nuno Tavares and midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, with Brighton central defender Ben White also close to completing his deal to join the club.
Just as Arsenal had seemed to get one up on the south coast side by poaching arguably their most talented defender, it looks like Graham Potter will be using the cash generated from the sale of White to fund a £20million transfer for the French striker who has been regularly linked with a move to the Emirates.
What potentially makes the news worse for the Gunners faithful is that current Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has already made it clear he won't stand in the way of anyone who wants to leave the club, something his predecessors didn't necessarily do amid Arsenal links.
Speaking on Edouard's future earlier on in the month, he said: “I can’t force people to stay. From my perspective, while they’re here, I’m treating them as part of the Celtic family.
"As long as they’re working hard in training, I don’t treat them any differently to anyone else. If things change with that, we’ll deal with it as we go along.
“I have had a brief chat with all the players. I don’t think it needs too much discussion. Actions speak louder than words.”
It is expected that the official offer for the 23-year-old will be submitted and reviewed after Celtic have played out the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Danish side FC Midtjylland on Tuesday.
Edouard has scored 83 goals in 168 appearances for the Hoops, with 23 of those strikes coming last season. That tally breaks down to an impressive 0.63 goals per 90.
With the 23-year-old's move to Brighton having real potential, that looks like one striker firmly off the list of targets for Arsenal. It has been reported that Lacazette must be sold before any movement is seem on the incoming front, when it comes to strikers.
In the case of Abraham, personal terms will not be an issue, with the north Londoners reportedly prepared to pay around £125,000 a week to sign the forward, who is understood to be on £80,000 in west London.
Structuring the deal could be another issue, with Marina Granovskaia demanding a permanent sale for around £40million, but the Gunners are said to be keen on an initial loan with an option to buy.
A compromise may be seen where Edu may settle for a £40million obligation to buy instead of having the option, which would mean settling more for Granovskaia's terms as Edouard to Arsenal is looking like a no-go now - largely because of the funds the Gunners are set to hand Brighton.
