Arsenal were among the teams competing for the signature of Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, according to reports in the Italian media.
The Corriere Dello Sport claim that Inter Milan have won the race for the Argentinian international.
However, the Serie A champions had to fend off ‘advances’ from both the Gunners and Atletico Madrid to secure Romero’s services.
It is believed that the 28-year-old will seal a €40m (£34m) switch to the San Siro, as long as the Nerazzurri can offload Benjamin Pavard.
They need to get the Frenchman’s high salary off the club’s books before finalising a move for Romero, who has been pressing to leave Spurs for several months.
Why were Arsenal pursuing a Spurs player?
The Premier League champions are looking to recruit a new centre-half to provide cover for William Saliba, who is set to be on the sidelines for an extended period with a back injury.
Romero’s availability for a relatively affordable fee may have tempted the Gunners to make a move, especially as their preferred target, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, could cost nearly double the amount. The England international’s asking price is said to be £60m.
Who will be targeted instead of Romero?
An approach for Konsa cannot be completely ruled out, but it may depend on other incomings and outgoings. £75m will be spent on Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, while a fee in excess of £120m may be required if Mikel Arteta’s side snap up either Vinicius Jr or the main alternative Bradley Barcola.
Money could be raised from the sales of Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli, as well as Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Jesus, but there is a good chance that sporting director Andrea Berta will pursue a cheaper option to strengthen the middle of the defence.
There is believed to be some interest in Como’s Jacobo Ramon, but his former club Real Madrid have a buyback option and a sell-on clause, which would make that deal difficult. Another potential target could be a current Real player – Raul Asencio, who has also been linked with the Gunners.