Arsenal have been dealt a major blow in the winter transfer market as Barcelona have pulled out of negotiations involving Denis Suarez.
According to Mundo Deportivo, any hope of a potential deal being agreed before the transfer deadline on Thursday has been ‘killed’, after Arsenal and Barcelona’s lengthy discussions.
The Gunners have been chasing the 25-year-old for the majority of the transfer window, as club boss Unai Emery looks to bolster his squad heading into a crucial run of fixtures.
Suarez has found playing time at the Camp Nou hard to come by in recent months and with just two La Liga appearances to his name this season and Arsenal had hoped to lure him to the Emirates.
Unfortunately, the Premier League giants will now have to look elsewhere for reinforcements, with several other possible transfer targets mooted over the last week.
Mundo Deportivo reports that a deal for Suarez ultimately fell through because of Arsenal director of football Raul Sanllehi, who worked for Barcelona for 14 years before moving to the Emirates Stadium in February last year.
Barca claim that Sanllehi made negotiations unnecessarily ‘personal’ and it now looks as though Suarez will remain at the Camp Nou until at least the end of the current campaign.
This latest news will come as a huge blow to Arsenal fans who might have been looking forward to seeing Suarez pull on their famous red and white jersey, especially as he could have added some real extra quality into the team’s midfield.
The Gunners are currently fifth in the Premier League with only a top four spot now to play for along with the Europa League, as Emery continues to build a team in his own image after succeeding Arsene Wenger in the hot seat last summer.
The Spaniard still has two days to land a new signing or two before the deadline, but it remains to be seen whether or not the club can bring in any fresh faces to make up for missing out on Suarez.
