Arsenal could make a move to sign a £130m superstar for Mikel Arteta after a deal to sign Morgan Rogers was hijacked by Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Arsenal's summer business had started to get going in recent days after they completed the free transfer addition of goalkeeper Illan Meslier, before agreeing a £34m fee with Club Brugge to sign prolific winger Christos Tzolis to replace the outgoing Leandro Trossard.
Arteta still wanted to land a high-profile left-sided attacker even after the Greek forward though, with Rogers the clear number one target.
GIVEMESPORT sources revealed earlier this week that the Gunners were ready to step up club-to-club talks and present Villa with an opening bid for the 23-year-old, but they have been beaten to the punch by their London neighbours.
Chelsea have agreed a £117m deal with Villa for the former Middlesbrough man, who is due to undergo a medical on Monday after the conclusion of the World Cup.
Rogers will link up with one of his best friends in football in Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge, with Blues boss Xabi Alonso playing an instrumental role in the transfer.
Arsenal must now decide where they are going to turn next.
Romano Hints at Arsenal Move for Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez in action for Atletico Madridvia Reuters
Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has previously been described as a 'dream' summer transfer target for Arsenal and Arteta, as they look strengthen their frontline.
While he wouldn't necessarily be a like-for-like alternative to Rogers, the Gunners clearly have the budget to make a big-money signing as they look to not only retain their first Premier League title since 2004, but also win their first ever Champions League having come so close to doing it last season.
Issuing an update on Arsenal and Alvarez on his YouTube channel on Saturday night, Romano hinted that the Gunners could move for the Argentina international, who was the subject of a rejected £130m bid from Real Madrid this summer, later in the transfer window.
He said: "Then another thing: it's a separate story, but with Arsenal, keep a close eye on the situation of Julian Alvarez and Barcelona. It's very tense between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as I'm telling you, and I've been telling you for weeks.
"Obviously, if Julian Alvarez can't go to Barcelona because Atletico don't want to sell the player to Barcelona, now Atletico are saying they don't want to sell the player in general. But in case there is a broken relationship between Julian and Atletico, and at some point they decide to sell the player in August, Arsenal could still be interested in the situation and could still keep a close eye on Julian Alvarez.
"So we have to be very attentive to Arsenal now because losing Morgan Rogers is a big blow for Arsenal."
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RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande celebrates a goalREUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Not only Alvarez, but Romano has also claimed that Arsenal have made contact in recent days over a potential move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande.
It was Liverpool who had identified the 19-year-old as their number one Mohamed Salah replacement earlier in the summer, before the player decided he wanted to join Paris Saint-Germain.
However, PSG are yet to close a deal with the Bundesliga outfit, who are demanding big money for their prized asset, which has seen the Gunners make fresh contact over a move.