Arsenal have rejected a £30million bid from Everton for winger Alex Iwobi.
The offer is believed to have comprised an initial £25m fee with a further £5m in performance-related add-ons.
Everton are seeking alternatives to a deal for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha having grown frustrated at the club’s continued demands for a fee of at least £80million for a player who has made no secret of his desire to leave Selhurst Park this summer.
The Gunners were hopeful of securing a deal for Zaha themselves but Palace’s insistence on receiving a large percentage of the asking price up front led them to turn their attentions elsewhere, eventually agreeing a £72m deal with Lille for Nicolas Pepe spread over five years.
Zaha is said to be extremely frustrated by Palace’s stance – emboldened further by any absence of a need to sell having already allowed Aaron Wan-Bissaka to join Manchester United for £50m – and is hopeful of securing a move either to Everton or overseas before the end of the month.
Iwobi his improved under head coach Unai Emery and he would ideally like to stay at the club but Arsenal’s pursuit of a winger in January and again this summer suggests the Nigeria international may find first-team opportunities hard to come by.
However, the Gunners have opted to reject Everton’s opening offer and the Merseyside club must decide whether to test their resolve with an improved bid or seek a breakthrough in negotiations with Zaha
