Arsenal could find it difficult to prise midfielder Sandro Tonali away from AC Milan this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Gunners are believed to be in the market for reinforcements in the engine room and have been tipped to turn their attention to the 22-year-old in the final weeks of the transfer window.

What is the latest news involving Tonali?

Italian journalist Enrico Camelio spoke to CalcioMercato on TvPlay, providing an interesting update on Tonali’s future following an impressive couple of campaigns at San Siro.

“Milan and Arsenal met and talked about Tonali,” said Camelio, then going into the details of the possible negotiation. 

“The Rossoneri have declared that the midfielder is not transferable, but if a proposal for €55 million (£46.5m) arrives, Milan could sell him and make two purchases.”

For most of the summer, Arsenal have been tracking Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, but they are yet to make a formal offer and could now wait to sign him on a free transfer in 12 months’ time.

That could open the door for Tonali to arrive at the Emirates Stadium before September’s deadline in what would be a very surprising switch.

What has Jones said about Tonali?

Jones has informed GiveMeSport that he would ‘really struggle to believe’ that Arsenal can sign Tonali at this moment in time given his importance to the reigning Serie A champions.

In an interview with GMS, he said: “I really, really struggle to believe that Arsenal could sign Tonali at the moment.

“He was very specific about choosing AC Milan when he joined them, and since he made that decision, he's won the league, and he's become an important player.”

Where would Tonali fit in?

At present, Mikel Arteta currently has Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga to call upon in the middle of the park, while summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko can also fill in there.

However, Tonali would perhaps offer Arsenal a different set of attributes to their current options.

As per WhoScored, the Italy international averaged 0.9 interceptions, 1.2 key passes and 0.9 crosses per league game last season, placing him in the top five for each metric amongst his teammates.

Tonali is a technically gifted operator capable of contributions at both ends of the pitch and would be seen as a significant coup for Arsenal, yet it seems unlikely he will be joining the capital club for 2022/23.