Arsenal had a £60 million bid turned down for midfielder Moises Caicedo and the Brighton manager’s reaction doesn’t bode well for hopeful Gunner fans.

It is no secret that Arsenal needs a backup for Thomas Partey, especially after the unfortunate news of Mohammed Elneny’s recent injury. If anything is guaranteed to derail Mikel Arteta’s title charge its an injury to the Ghanaian and they are trying to prevent such a disaster by bringing in an adequate replacement this window.

Read More:

There were rumours about a potential move for Declan Rice but the club surprised everyone when they offered to pay £60m for Caicedo’s signature on Friday morning. Their bid was instantly rejected by Brighton but some Arsenal fans are still hopeful that they can land the 21-year-old.

But De Zerbi has all but crushed these hopes during his press conference on Friday afternoon.

“He is a good guy. He is focused on Brighton. I hope he can stay with us until the end of the season. In my opinion that is the best solution for us. I can understand other big teams want Caicedo, Mac Allister, Mitoma and March.” he said.

“I spoke with him Wednesday and I told him my opinion. It’s always difficult to change during the season, because you can find some more problems”

With the window nearing its end Arsenal need to move quick but if they can’t sign Caicedo then who should they turn to?

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Two young stars get hefty bonuses for making All-NBA teams
Mavericks star duo joins exclusive club with Game 1 win
Mavericks ride 'Luka Magic' on both ends late to win Game 1
Panthers shut out Rangers 3-0 in Eastern Conference Final opener
NBA announces 2023-24 All-NBA teams
Star Padres infielder to miss significant time with shoulder injury
LeBron James, Charles Barkley passionately defend Caitlin Clark from 'petty' haters
Roger Goodell discusses factors for possible 18-game NFL season
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has intriguing comment on his contract situation
Celtics toying around with surprise Jayson Tatum move in conference finals
Former teammate warns Tee Higgins about pitfalls of playing on franchise tag
Watch: Timberwolves and Mavericks trade dunks in third quarter
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner tempers expectations for Juan Soto extension
Canucks' Rick Tocchet wins 2024 Jack Adams Award
Incredible Orioles streak finally comes to end against Cardinals
Raiders QB shares surprising reason for switching jersey number
New Jersey Devils to hire just-fired head coach to lead bench
Latest announcements show how deep Knicks' injury issues ran
Veteran WR announces retirement after nine seasons
Eagles stars defend new DC following criticism