Arsenal's chances of signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt appear to be over - for now, at least.
The Gunners were tipped to make a move for Brandt in their search for a creative midfielder during this transfer window, and Dortmund were said to be open to a deal.
A fee of around £25million was being mooted but the Gunners' chances of landing the Germany international appear to have been dealt a fatal blow.
That's because Dortmund suffered a cruel injury blow, losing Alex Witsel during their 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga over the weekend.
It has now been confirmed that Witsel has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of this season and no doubt, a sizable chunk of next.
That could force Dortmund to take an 'all hands to the pump' approach and block key outgoings during this winter, particularly when it comes to midfielders.
Brandt does play in a slightly different position to Witsel, who is more of a holding player, but Dortmund boss Edin Terzić is going to need some flexibility from his men.
Particularly as the Bundesliga outfit won't be going into the market to replace Witsel during this window.
The club's sporting director Michael Zorc said on the back of the injury blow: “We will fill the void with our own personnel."
That looks to be a crushing blow for Arsenal if indeed they were planning an attempt to lure Brandt to the Emirates Stadium this winter, and they could now be pushed towards Norwich City's Emiliano Buendia, who is set to cost around £15m more at a fee of around £40m.
