Arsenal have been handed a crushing blow in their pursuit of Lautaro Martinez with north London rivals Tottenham having agreed a fee.
The Gunners were previously talked up as suitors for the Argentine hitman, with The Athletic suggesting that transfer chief Edu is a big admirer and is potentially exploring the possibility of bringing him to the Emirates Stadium.
It certainly looked an excellent fit with Martinez having hit 40 goals over the last two seasons in all competitions for Inter Milan and helping the Italian giants to end their decade-long title drought.
Meanwhile, he would also have been a huge upgrade on the current forward options at the Emirates Stadium with each of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eddie Nketiah all having uncertain futures with the Gunners.
It appears that Arsenal have been beaten to the punch by rivals Spurs though in the race for the forward.
As per The Sunday Times, Tottenham have agreed a fee in excess of €60m (£50m) for Martinez, with Inter Milan begrudgingly accepting another big-money offer due to their poor financial situation; they have already sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Romelu Lukaku appears on his way to Chelsea.
football.london understands that is indeed the case, with that fee being agreed on earlier this week - before the deal for Lukaku to return to Stamford Bridge accelerated towards completion.
It now remains to be seen whether Inter Milan will allow both strikers to leave, which could have all-but destroyed any Arsenal hopes of a deal.
Should Spurs secure the signature of Martinez, their intention is to play him alongside current forward Harry Kane despite the England captain being linked with a move to Manchester City.
Martinez has just two years left to run on his most recent deal at the San Siro.
