Unai Emery misses out on top Arsenal transfer target
Arsenal have missed out on one of their top summer transfer targets after Yannick Carrasco’s fee proved too big to meet.
The 25-year-old has been on Unai Emery’s radar for some time and the Gunners failed in trying to lure the Belgium midfielder to London in January.
It’s understood Arsenal and Carrasco’s Chinese club Dalian Yifang were unable to agree on a fee at that time and the same appears to have happened again.
The Sun report that Emery tried to sign the player again, but says Arsenal “are out of the running” with Dalian Yifang wanting £30million for his services
Carrasco moved to the Far East in February 2018 for a reported fee of €30million, but he failed to settle in China and has long been touted for a move back to Europe.
Carrasco has confirmed he was leaving the Chinese Super League side this summer, and admitted over the weekend that talks were well underway with an unnamed club.
The likes of AC Milan and Roma have also been linked with Carrasco, but Belgian media suggested it was Gunners boss Unai Emery who was finally poised to land his long-term target.
And Italian journalist Pietro Prota at SportMediaSet reported earlier this month that Arsenal had agreed a fee for the player.
“The whole world knows that I want to return to Europe,” said Carrasco recently.
“Now, it depends on the president and I hope he finds a solution.”
The Gunners have not got a vast amount of cash to spend with reports claiming Emery will have just £40million in his budget, plus any cash he raises in player sales.
The report claims their “second-choice winger” Ryan Fraser will also not be moving to The Emirates and is staying put on the south coast.
