Arsenal have missed out on the signature of Barcelona starlet Toni Sanabria, who has instead opted to join AS Roma, reports Catalan radio RAC1.
The 17-year-old was thought to be on the verge of joining the Gunners last month after deciding to leave the Nou Camp due to a lack of first team opportunities.
Arsene Wenger sent his chief deal maker, Dick Law, to Spain to try to convince Sanabria to move to the Emirates, as well as agree a fee with Barcelona.
AS Roma were always in the fray but were believed to be second choice for the Paraguay international.
However, it now seems as though Roma have stolen a march on Arsenal and have succeeded in convincing the young striker to move to the Italian capital instead of north London.
According to the Catalan radio show and reinforced by respected Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri, Sanabria has ultimately decided that Rudi Garcia can have a better influence on his future than Wenger.
It's a big blow for the Frenchman, who has recently lost Theo Walcott to a long-term knee injury and is looking to reinforce what looks to be a doomed title challenge.
Arsenal's front line is now looking a fragile as ever with fans calling for Wenger to make major additions in the January transfer window to increase their title credentials.
The Gunners have also been linked with moves for Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, but again, a move looks unlikely with Florentino Perez seemingly unwilling to sell a Real Madrid academy graduate.
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