‘Arsenal were looking’: Gunners didn’t want to pay £39m for star; he’s now set to join PL rival – journalist

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Journalist Nizaar Kinsella has suggested that Arsenal were particularly reluctant to meet the price Monaco set for Axel Disasi as he now closes in on sealing his move to the Premier League.

Kinsella took to Twitter to suggest that the Gunners were one of the sides keen on the Frenchman, who is now looking to be on course to join Chelsea for £39 million this summer.

Axel Disasi has attracted a lot of attention in this window. But it would appear that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are about to win the race to secure his signature.

Arsenal backed away from Disasi over asking price

Kinsella noted on Twitter that the Blues are on the verge of paying close to £40 million for the 25-year-old. And he explained why Arsenal backed away from making a move for the centre-back having shown interest earlier in the window.

Here is what Kinsella posted on Sunday evening…

Of course, Arsenal have already strengthened their defensive options in this window. They have brought in Jurrien Timber, who can play across the backline. And his arrival also opens the door for Ben White to potentially return to his favoured role of centre-back.

So they may have felt that paying £39 million for Disasi this summer made little sense for them this time around.

What is interesting is that Arsenal are reportedly considering potentially paying a similar amount for David Raya. According to the Guardian, the Gunners are considering a move for the £40 million-rated Brentford star.

Of course, it is not yet clear whether Mikel Arteta’s side are prepared to meet that price. But you do wonder why the Gunners feel the need to spend some of their remaining budget on Raya if they felt that Disasi was too expensive.