Arsenal faltered in their attempt to sign French midfielder Christopher Nkunku on loan, after reportedly being ‘held back by financial commitments’

According to a report from French publication L’Equipe (h/t The Sun), Arsenal saw their bid to sign midfielder Christopher Nkunku on a temporary basis from Paris Saint-Germain collapse on the transfer deadline day, owing to a lack of funds.

Arsenal were keen on securing the 21-year-old’s services from the French champions till the end of the season, with an option to make the move permanent in the summer. The Gunners’ manager Unai Emery was understood to be intent on landing the midfielder, having worked with him during his time as the PSG manager.

However, as per the report, the deal fell through as the Gunners were ‘held back by financial commitments’. The report goes on to further claim that the North London outfit ‘could not agree terms of a loan with option to buy deal’ and that the Gunners ‘found the deal too complicated to agree’.

Nkunku is an exponent of the PSG academy and has been on the club’s books since 2010. The 21-year-old made his first-team debut for Les Parisiens back in December 2015, under then manager Laurent Blanc, and has since gone on to make 66 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and setting up three more in the process.

In the 2018-19 campaign, the French U-21 international has featured on 17 occasions across all competitions for Thomas Tuchel’s side, finding the back of the net on two occasions and registering a solitary assist. With PSG signing Leandro Paredes from Zenit St. Petersburg, Nkunku’s chances of first-team are likely to take a hit.

Arsenal failed to sign Nkunku on loan in January (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images)
Arsenal failed to sign Nkunku on loan in January (Photo by Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images)

Arsenal did bolster their midfield options in January, by signing Denis Suarez on loan from La Liga champions Barcelona. But, Emery was intent on bolstering his midfield further, by adding the 21-year-old, with Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka not performing up to the mark in recent matches.

Nkunku’s agent had previously revealed Arsenal’s interest in his client, but had go on to say that a summer move would be more likely.

“There is a real interest from Arsenal for Nkunku, but the discussions are quite complicated. There are restrictions from Arsenal’s side, they cannot do a transfer in the middle of the season. His situation will be evaluated in June, then he will have just one year left on his contract, and his situation will need to be evaluated.”

Nkunku will be entering the final year of his contract with PSG at the end of the season and is believed to have no intentions of extending his stay at Parc des Princes. Having failed to sign him in January, Arsenal could finally get their hands on the 21-year-old in the summer transfer window.

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