Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic has put a dampener on Arsenal's chances of signing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale this summer, explaining his absence from the Carabao Cup squad as a tactical decision.
Ramsdale. 23, has been heavily linked to the Gunners this summer following the club's relegation to the Championship, with Edu keen on signing an extra goalkeeper to add to Mikel Arteta's squad ahead of the upcoming 2021/22 season that would double as a homegrown player.
football.london understands that the Gunners intend to submit another bid for the England Under-21 international this summer, although this is unlikely to be near the £30million fee that has been reported.
Jokanovic's current shot-stopper featured in the 1-0 weekend defeat to Birmingham City in the opening round of Championship games, but the manager's latest decision had initially eluded to the fact that something may be going on behind the scenes with the north Londoners.
Ramsdale was excluded from the 18-man squad as the Blades progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup after a tight 1-0 win over League Two side Carlisle United.
The decision to isolate United's the 23-year-old from the setup for the game on Tuesday night raised eyebrows amongst the Arsenal fanbase, with some believing that this was a sign that something was in the pipeline, but Jokanovic's explanation after the game cleared up the situation surrounding his 'first choice.'
"There is nothing in his absence tonight," Jokanovic said in his press conference, as reported by YorkshireLive. "I'm giving people a chance tonight and Aaron is my first choice but if something happened I need to be ready."
Amid the transfer talk surrounding the 23-year-old, John Egan has already praised the professionalism and attitude that his teammate has shown during these uncertain times.
"There has been speculation with a few of the lads in the summer but their attitude has been very professional and it's been very enthusiastic to see that, too," Egan said.
"Sometimes players can get linked with places and they might look a bit moody, but everyone here, including those two players, their attitude has been fantastic and their application and dedication in training, especially when we have a lot of younger lads with us, for them to see that they are a credit to themselves.
"Whenever they are chosen to play I am sure they will put in good performances."
The ex-Premier League goalkeeper made a total of 42 appearances in all competitions for the Sheffield-based club in the last campaign, conceding a total of 68 goals and only keeping six clean sheets in the process.
