Aston Villa might have priced £80 million-rated captain Jack Grealish out of a move to a Premier League giant, with Sky Sports claiming that Arsenal have failed to follow up their initial approach.
If the Gunners are beaten by London rivals Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final, they will fail to qualify for European football for the first time in 25 years.
But regardless of the result at Wembley, any hopes Mikel Arteta might have had of spending big to reinforce a stuttering squad appear to have gone up in smoke.
Funds are tighter than ever at the Emirates, with technical director Edu and Head of Football Raul Sanllehi under pressure to unearth rough diamonds a la Gabriel Martinelli with established superstars in the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mould out of their reach.
Without the riches that only Champions League football can provide, the chances of Grealish slaloming through defences at the Emirates next season always looked slim.
Sky claims that Aston Villa want £80 million for their homegrown hero and would immediately snub any offers in the region of £60 million.
No wonder cash-strapped Arsenal have decided not to step up their interest. Even money-bags Manchester United appear to have put the Birmingham-born 24-year-old on the backburner as they prioritise Jadon Sancho instead.
Floating through the lines, unlocking defences with those pinpoint through balls and fizzing long-range rockets into the net, Grealish looks every-inch the kind of creative lynchpin this Arsenal side are crying out for with Mesut Ozil a sloping shadow of his former self.
But, if Arsenal are to have any chance of signing players of this ilk again, then they cannot afford to stay out of Europe for long.
Speaking to the Mirror in May, Arsenal legend Robert Pires compared Grealish to his former Gunners team-mate Dennis Bergkamp.
“Jack is a great footballer with a good technique – and I love watching him play because he reminds me of Dennis Bergkamp,” Pires said.
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