Arsenal had a £34 million bid for Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca turned down because the Italy international wants to stay in Serie A, according to reports.
The Italy international joined Sassuolo in 2017 from Ajax’s second string before going on a series of loan deals to Cremonese, PEC Zwolle, Ascoli and Genoa.
He finally made his breakthrough into the first team at Serie A side Sassuolo this campaign, scoring 16 goals in 38 matches in all competitions.
Alfredo Pedulla(opens in new tab) writes that Scamacca has attracted interest from Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli after an impressive season with the Neroverdi.
But the Gunners were the first club to make a move by putting around €40m (£34m) plus bonuses on the table.
However, the journalist says the proposal was immediately stopped in its tracks because Scamacca is prioritising eventual offers from Italian clubs.
Arsenal announced on Friday that Alexandre Lacazette will leave when his contract expires at the end of June, and they are in the market for a new striker.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also gone following his January move to Barcelona, Eddie Nketiah is the only centre-forward left in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s top scorer in 2021/22, providing 12 goals in all competitions from the wing, and a natural number nine is a top priority in the summer window.