Arsenal are now believed to be targeting AC Milan star Rafael Leao – and Everton may just wish a mooted swap deal had taken place over the summer.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica claim that Arsenal are leading the race to lure Leao away from the San Siro at the end of the season.
The 22-year-old is predominantly a left-sided winger but can also feature in a more central role too.
Arsenal need attacking reinforcements this summer and Leao could be their man after 10 goals and six assists this season.
Possessing great pace and dribbling ability, Leao has earned favourable comparisons to the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Thierry Henry.
Leao could be an exciting addition for Arsenal, but a big-money move to North London may leave Everton somewhat gutted.
Everton have been linked with Leao for some time now, and it looked like a summer deal was in the pipeline.
Agent Jorge Mendes was trying to set up a swap deal; Everton’s James Rodriguez to AC Milan, with Leao joining Everton.
However, Leao decided he didn’t want to join Everton and chose to stay put at the San Siro, ruling out a move.
Playmaker Rodriguez ended up leaving Everton for Al-Rayyan in Qatar, a far cry from joining AC Milan.
Everton had to flog Rodriguez just to get him off the wage bill, but sending him to Qatar rather than being able to sign Leao will have hurt.
Leao could have been a welcome addition at Everton, but he could now ended up joining one of their Premier League rivals instead.
In terms of transfer misses, this could be one that people around Everton dread to think about – especially if he ends up at Arsenal.
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