Arsenal have once again left it late to sign a midfielder. The January transfer window slams shuts on Tuesday evening and the task of luring Moises Caicedo away from Brighton is proving difficult.
The Gunners saw a £60million bid turned down from the Seagulls last week, football.london understands, before another bid worth £70million was rebuffed on Sunday evening. Brighton have reiterated their stance that Caicedo is not for sale this month, despite the player's desire to leave the club.
As expected at a club of the stature of Arsenal, alternatives have been monitored throughout the window as Edu Gasper targets competition to Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey. Real Sociedad anchor Martin Zubimendi has been heavily linked with a move to north London, as has Youri Tielemans.
READ MORE: Moises Caicedo to Arsenal transfer state of play as Gunners remain hopeful of late move
The Leicester City star has just six months remaining on his deal at the King Power Stadium and has been an Arsenal target for some time. The Gunners opted against signing the 25-year-old in the summer and had cooled their interest this month, despite possibly being available for a reduced price.
As Brighton continue to play hardball with Caicedo, a report from 90min on Monday claimed that the north London outfit were considering making a late effort to test Leicester's resolve to keep Tielemans before Tuesday's deadline. The report claims only a 'huge' bid would tempt the Foxes in selling due to their presence in the Premier League relegation battle.
However, football.london understands that it is highly unlikely that Arsenal will make a move for Tielemans before the deadline, with their interest remaining unchanged from earlier in the transfer window. There is a possibility that the player's situation may be revisited in the summer when his contract expires, but right now, there will be no move.
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