Arsenal have made contact to hijack Paris Saint-Germain's deal to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig after their move for Morgan Rogers was hijacked by Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Arsenal have already agreed a £34m fee with Club Brugge to sign winger Christos Tzolis to replace Besiktas-bound Leandro Trossard, but Mikel Arteta still wanted to land a big-money left-sided attacker in addition to the prolific Greece international.
The Gunners had identified Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers as their top target for the position, and they were expected to ramp up their interest and present a bid to their Premier League rivals after the conclusion of the World Cup, according to GIVEMESPORT sources earlier this week.
However, David Ornstein dropped a bombshell on Saturday evening to say that Chelsea had agreed a £117m deal with Villa for the forward, who will complete a medical on Monday to move to Stamford Bridge.
The journalist also confirmed that the 23-year-old preferred to join the Blues over Arsenal, which will come as a further blow to the club and Arteta as they look to strengthen their squad to retain the Premier League title and to try and go one step further in the Champions League.
Romano: Arsenal Make Checks on Yan Diomande
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande celebrates a goalREUTERS/Annegret Hilse
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande had been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League earlier this summer, with Liverpool identifying him as their preferred replacement for Mohamed Salah after his summer exit.
However, it emerged that the 19-year-old preferred to join Paris Saint-Germain instead, and the Champions League holders continue to work on a deal to bring the teenage sensation to the Parc des Princes.
Now, Romano has revealed that Arsenal have made checks on the Ivory Coast international after a deal for Rogers slipped away.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Saturday night, the Italian journalist said:
"Arsenal over the last few days have made some checks with the agents of Yan Diomande from Red Bull Leipzig to understand if there was still a chance to enter the deal.
"But don't forget it. Diomande has an agreement on personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Saint-Germain are in negotiations with Leipzig. But for example, Arsenal made some calls to understand the situation of Diomande, just to give you context of what happened over recent days."
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Arsenal Blow Liverpool Away in Julian Alvarez Battle
Julian AlvarezRodrigo Valle via Reuters
If Arsenal still want to land a statement, big-money signing this summer, then they could turn their attentions to Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
The Argentina international has already been described as a 'dream' target for the Gunners this summer, and he could move further into the picture after the collapse of a move for Rogers.
Alvarez's future is complicated however, with Real Madrid and Barcelona having huge bids rejected for the 26-year-old, and Atletico making it clear that the player is not for sale.
Nevertheless, Arsenal are said to have blown Premier League rivals Liverpool away in the race to bring the former Manchester City star back to the English top flight, and now they must decide if they are going to make a bid for his services.