Reported Arsenal target Tariq Lamptey has suffered a devastating injury blow.
The Gunners have been tipped to sign Lamptey should they lose Hector Bellerin this summer amid talk surrounding his potential exit from North London.
Reports have claimed Mikel Arteta promised Bellerin a conversation over his future this summer after convincing the right-back to stay ahead of this season.
On top of that, reports claimed Barcelona would move to bring Bellerin back to the club if Joan Laporta won the presidential election at Camp Nou.
And Laporta did just that on Sunday night, defeating Victor Font and Toni Freixa to earn his job back as Barcelona president after around 11 years away.
That will only fuel talk of Bellerin's potential exit from Arsenal, and reports claim Brighton star Lamptey, who is expected to cost around £30million, has already been earmarked as a replacement.
But with talk of a move in the air, Lamptey has suffered a devastating injury blow.
Having been out with a hamstring injury since December, it has been decided that Lamptey will undergo surgery to repair his torn tendon, ruling him out until the end of the season.
The Athletic report Lamptey will likely return to training before the end of the season but he is not likely to return to match action, ruling him out for England's under-21s European Championships.
The tournament's group stage takes place at the end of this month and then continues with the knockout stage taking place from the end of May.
The injury could also cast some doubt over a potential transfer, particularly given the explosiveness of Lamptey's game, but still only 20 years of age, he is expecting to make a full recovery and could well remain on Arsenal's radar ahead of next season.
