Arsenal have decided against making a late move for prime Liverpool target Bradley Barcola, according to a trusted source.
Arsenal shortlisted Barcola earlier this summer after Mikel Arteta asked the club to revamp his options at left wing. The Gunners have replaced Leandro Trossard with Christos Tzolis and are in talks to sell Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for €64million (£55m).
Arsenal lost out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, while they pursued Vinicius Junior before the Brazilian ultimately decided to pen a new contract at Real Madrid.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta previously identified Barcola as an alternative to Rogers and Vinicius, as the Frenchman is pushing to leave Paris Saint-Germain in search of regular starts.
But The Athletic report in their latest DealSheet that Arsenal will not be moving for Barcola in the final week of the transfer window.
The reigning Premier League champions feel PSG are demanding too much for a player who is not always a starter at the Parc des Princes.
READ: Arsenal behind only £845m Chelsea in five-year net spend table
PSG initially demanded €170m (£145m) to sell Barcola, before dropping their asking price to €146m (£125m).
As per our friends at TEAMtalk, PSG are now ready to sell the electric winger for €140m (£120m). However, even with these price drops, Arsenal are not expected to open formal negotiations for Barcola.
Arteta’s side do not plan on hijacking Liverpool’s talks for the player.
Liverpool are firmly in pole position to land Barcola, having already submitted bids worth €100m (£86m) and €115m (£98m).
Liverpool are willing to pay a huge fee to secure his services, unlike Arsenal.
Arsenal allow Liverpool to swoop for Bradley Barcola
TEAMtalk state that Liverpool are growing in confidence about signing Barcola after learning of his new, reduced £120m price tag.
Previous reports have suggested Liverpool would be willing to offer £120m as a maximum fee for Barcola.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Andoni Iraola’s side are ‘going very strong’ to finalise the deal.
“On Bradley Barcola, guys, I told you since the beginning, it is not going to be €170m. With all respect for PSG, he feeling of those in the industry has always been that it is never going to be €170m, but it will still be a big amount of money,” he said on YouTube.
“And this is why Liverpool and PSG are having a direct exchange day by day. So, the conversation is continuing behind the scenes. I told you the updates, the media updates on this story are not so traditional, like an official bid, this money, accepted, rejected, because this is a direct conversation between directors, between owners.
“So, they are talking in a direct way, Liverpool and PSG, but the deal is alive. Barcola is absolutely, absolutely a deal that Liverpool want to complete in the next few days, and my expectation is absolutely for Liverpool to go very strong for Barcola.
“Then you still need to reach an agreement for PSG to have the ‘Here We Go’. So, that remains the story and Liverpool are going very strong for Bradley Barcola. And then they want one more if Gakpo goes to Tottenham or Man City.”
With Barcola likely to head to Liverpool, Arsenal could return for Nico Williams instead.
READ MORE: Arsenal civil war incoming as ‘unhappy’ players ‘side with Gabriel Martinelli’ over Arteta treatment