Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny was reportedly a transfer target for both Newcastle and Leeds United in January.
The Egypt international has had some promising moments at the Emirates Stadium, but has fallen down the pecking order recently, so could do well to leave in order to get more first-team football.
According to Sporx, Arsenal didn’t want to allow Elneny to join Newcastle or Leeds, which is perhaps sensible given Mikel Arteta’s worrying lack of squad depth at the moment.
Other players, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, left Arsenal in January, with no new signings coming in, so Elneny staying might end up being quite important.
Still, with the 29-year-old set to be out of contract at the end of the season, one imagines there will be a chance for the likes of Newcastle and Leeds to try again to sign him in the summer.
Newcastle would do well to add Elneny to their list of recent big-name signings, while Leeds could also benefit from bringing in an extra midfield option amid doubts over Kalvin Phillips’ future.