Arsenal might get another chance to sign Raul de Tomas in the summer transfer window after a nightmare January.
Mikel Arteta had made signing a striker a main priority with his side bereft of a top goalscoring frontman after the ostracisation of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After a breach of discipline in December, the 32-year-old was stripped of the captaincy at the Emirates and never played again.
He was eventually released from his contract, allowing the Gabon international to complete a transfer to Barcelona despite the Gunners going without a replacement.
But it was not for want of trying with several targets in Arsenal ’s sights - albeit ending empty-handed.
Dusan Vlahovic had been the top target but he chose to sign for Juventus from Fiorentina instead, but he was not the only one.
Espanyol star De Tomas was also being courted and is the exact kind of forward that Arteta appreciates and enquiries were made over his availability.
But club director Jose Maria Duran insisted that they were not open for negotiations, demanding that if the Gunners wanted the 27-year-old then they would have to trigger his release clause.
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Duran told Esport 3 in January: "Arsenal called for Raul de Tomas but we didn't even want to talk. We won't let him go now, no way. His release clause is €75million (£60m).”
However, that does not mean that a transfer is dead in the water despite the January window closing on Monday night.
With the summer on the horizon, Arsenal retain an interest in De Tomas - who has scored 12 times in 21 appearances in La Liga.
According to Sport, the Gunners will move for the Spaniard once more at the end of the season when Espanyol will be more open to negotiations.
The Catalan club were not willing to lose their star striker in the middle of the season as they would not have been able to replace him.
If Arsenal had triggered his release clause, there would have been no choice but at his current price that is far too steep.
Instead, the Emirates outfit will look to whittle down the price while Espanyol could be prepared to accept a lesser bid.
But much will depend on where Arsenal finish in the Premier League this season with plenty of targets on their shortlist.
Real Sociedad star Alexander Isak and Everton ace Dominic Calvert-Lewin are also options being eyed by Arteta.
And another year without Champions League football could have a detrimental effect on their transfer plans while they have taken a gamble by not splashing the cash in January.
