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Arsenal have given up their hopes of signing Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney after they had a third bid rejected, according to the Daily Record.
Arsenal’s latest bid was rejected because Celtic demanded that their £25m valuation is paid in full. The Gunners’ bid fell below this and some of the add-ons were dependent on the club reaching the Champions League, something Celitc were uneasy with.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has doubled-down on his insistence that the Scottish side are in a “strong position.”
“There has been no further inroads into that really,” he said. “Our valuation of Kieran wasn’t met and it’s as simple as that. You will see other transfers not going through because valuations haven’t been met. It’s not a case of Arsenal being disrespectful.”
Elsewhere, a deal to sign Wilfried Zaha hit a setback when Crystal Palace rejected Arsenal’s latest bid for the winger.
Transfer verdict 2019: Stay or go?
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The Gunners were told that their offer of £55m, and £10m in add-ons, and either Reiss Nelson or Bukayo Saka was not enough as Palace hold out on their £80m valuation of the player.
Emery is still keen on signing Zaha, who would give Arsenal a threatening attack, but the club are limited in how much they can spend in initial transfer fees, something Palace are demanding a lot of.
Brazilian winger Everton Soares has been identified as a potential target if Arsenal fail to land Zaha before the Thursday 8 August deadline.
The deal to sign Soares, who plays for Brazilian side Gremio, could be made possible due to Edu’s arrival.
The first signing to arrive since Edu joined was Martinelli and now Arsenal supporters are hoping he brings Soares to north London. One fan even asked him directly, to which he replied: “Let’s see, let’s see.”
Arsenal are close to finalising a deal to sign Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos on a season-long loan deal and hope to tie up a move soon.
The 22-year-old, who has made 56 appearances for Madrid, has also been linked with Tottenham, who are understood to have cooled their interest at the lack of scope for the move to be made permanent.
Unai Emery said of Ceballos: “He played very well in the Under-21s (European Championship), his national team won the competition.”
Arsenal are also hoping to announce the signing William Saliba this week, who will be loaned back to Saint-Etienne.
It is widely reported that a deal for the 18-year-old promising defender has completed a £27m deal. The fee will not dent Arsenal’s limited transfer budget as it is structured over a long period of time.
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