The Gunners will not raise their offer.
Arsenal are running the risk of missing out on yet another summer transfer target as the club refuse to raise their offer for Bayern Munich’s Luiz Gustavo to €17m, reports German daily BILD.
Gustavo has two years remaining on the midfielder’s current deal at the Allianz Arena, but is open to a move away for fear of not getting enough playing time this season.
Bayern have signed Mario Goetze and Thiago Alcantara this transfer window and the Brazil international has fallen down the pecking order.
The Gunners therefore saw this as the perfect opportunity to capitalise and lodged a €15m bid, but the Bundesliga champions want more.
With Inter Milan and Napoli also interested the north London club will need to act quickly or face another situation such as that of Gonzalo Higuain.
It looked certain earlier this summer that Higuain would make the switch to the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid, but when Arsene Wenger refused to pay the £34.5m asking price the striker moved to Naples instead.
Arsenal have since turned their attention to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, but again negotiations have hit a dead end and Wenger has still only signed one new player in the shape of France under-20 striker Yaya Sanogo.
At 26-years-old Gustavo is about to hit the prime of the Brazilian’s career and at €17m looks like a steal, considering the defensive midfielder helped Bayern to the treble of German league title and cup, along with the Champions League in 2012/13.
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