The Gunners were keen on signing Carvalho.
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Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho was being touted but several Premier League sides this summer, but Arsenal actually made an offer for the 22-year-old, according to Portuguese daily A Bola.
The Gunners were looking to sign the Portugal international – who was also being tracked by Chelsea and Manchester United – on transfer deadline day on Monday.
An offer of £12.8m plus the loan signing of Joel Campbell for a season was tabled for Carvalho, but Sporting refused the offer and in the end the midfield ace stayed put in the Portuguese capital.
It’s understood that the president Bruno de Carvalho was holding out for closer to £24m – which in itself was a significant drop from the £36m release clause the player has written into his contract.
Yet despite all the rumours Carvalho went nowhere and Arsene Wenger has been left without the holding midfielder that he so desperately wanted to sign.
There are growing concerns that newly appointed captain Mikel Arteta is not suited for the role, whilst Mathieu Flamini is considered to be nothing more than a squad player.
Wenger wanted a defensively minded midfielder in the middle to compliment the more creative talents of Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.
As it was deadline day came and went at the Emirates Stadium with just one new addition, the £16m signing of forward Danny Welbeck from the Red Devils.
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