Arsenal have reportedly seen an improved bid worth £70million for Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton ahead of Tuesday night's transfer deadline.
With Mikel Arteta keen on sourcing midfield reinforcements to supplement Arsenal's title challenge, Caicedo, 21, has emerged as the Gunners' top transfer target in recent weeks.
Brighton, however, are reluctant to part with another of their top assets after losing both Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard already this season and rejected a package worth £60m on Friday.
The Seagulls had made it clear to Arsenal that Caicedo was not for sale, but it appeared as though that stance had softened after Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted the club were ready to move on without him over the weekend.
The Athletic have since revealed, though, that Brighton have knocked back a new and improved offer from the Premier League leaders which would have seen them pocket an initial £65m plus a further £5m in add-ons in return for Caicedo's services.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal will return with a third bid before Tuesday night's deadline; although Arteta is still desperate to bolster his midfield options.
With Mohamed Elneny potentially out for the season, the Gunners would be relying on Thomas Partey staying fit in their quest to claim a first domestic title since the 2003/04 campaign.
But the Ghanian ace has a chequered fitness record and is set for an MRI scan after suffering a heavy blow to the ribs during Friday night's defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
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Caicedo has already made it clear that he is desperate to join Arsenal after releasing a lengthy statement on social media shortly after Brighton rejected the Gunners' initial offer.
The Ecuador international, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Liverpool with his stellar performances since moving to the south coast back in February 2021, has been told to stay away from training until after Tuesday's transfer deadline and missed Sunday's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Speaking after that game, De Zerbi admitted that he could "understand" why Caicedo had designs on moving to the Emirates. But while the Italian also stressed that he would like to keep the midfielder until the end of the season with Brighton pushing for a European spot, he did concede that the club were also ready to move forward without him.
De Zerbi said: "Caicedo is a very, very good guy. I can understand him because when you are 21 and you receive a request of a big big team playing in European competition. I would like he can finish the season with us. But we are ready to go without him."
