AS Monaco have confirmed the signing of Reims defender Axel Disasi.
Earlier in the summer, the centre-back had been linked with a £13m move to Arsenal, with head Mikel Arteta reportedly looking to bolster his defensive options ahead of the new season.
The Gunners may have been alerted to the 22-year-old due to the fact that Reims conceded just 21 goals in 28 games before the 2019/20 French season was cancelled.
Disasi played in all but one of those games and was touted as a potentially perfect partner for William Saliba who will start his Arsenal career next season after spending the campaign on loan at Saint-Etienne.
However, it's now been confirmed that Disasi will be staying in France to continue his development.
On Friday morning (August 7, 2020) the Ligue 1 outfit announced that Disasi has signed a five-year deal at the Stade Louis II having paid Reims a reported £12m transfer fee.
And Disasi can't get wait to get started for his new club.
"I'm delighted to be involved with AS Monaco," he told the club's official website. "This is a great opportunity for me to demonstrate my qualities at the highest level and to continue my progress at a club with high ambitions.
"I'm looking forward to starting training with my new team-mates and I'm going to put all my energy into helping the team achieve its goals at the end of the season."
Just how serious Arsenal's interest in Disasi remains to be seen, but they need to look elsewhere for a new centre-back and may stick in France to do so.
Gabriel Magalhaes is poised to leave Lille during the summer transfer window has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Reports in France are now claiming that the north London outfit are ready to offer €32m (£28.8m) to seal a deal for the Brazilian.
And interestingly, Gabriel isn't exactly playing down such rumours.
As spotted by many Arsenal fans, the 22-year-old's recent activity on various social media platforms could be seen as him delivering a verdict on a move this summer.
