Report: Arsenal made a 'monstrous offer' to sign the 'new Sergio Busquets' but he rejected them

Arsenal’s attempts to sign a hugely talented midfielder have ended in disappointment.

The Gunners are active on the market and are keen to strengthen multiple positions of their pitch. Mikel Arteta knows he needs reinforcements to have any chance of pipping Manchester City to the title.

Riccardo Calafiori is on the verge of joining Arsenal, and he will definitely bolster the left side of their defence. The focus now is on a new midfielder.

The Premier League runners-up have been linked with plenty of names in recent months. However, they have missed out on one player Arteta really wanted at Arsenal.

Barcelona’s Marc Bernal rejected Arsenal

Barcelona have begun a new era under Hansi Flick.

The German is hoping to bring the Catalans back to the top of Spanish and European football, and he is working hard ahead of the start of the new season.

Barcelona’s La Masia is one of the most prestigious academies in the world. They have produced some of the greatest players football has ever seen.

A new batch of young talents is coming through the ranks in the Barcelona academy, and one player has caught Flick’s eye.

E-Noticias have claimed that Flick sees young Marc Bernal as the ‘new Sergio Busquets‘.

The report claims that Arsenal were ‘pushing’ hard to sign the 17-year-old defensive midfielder and even made a ‘monstrous offer’ to sign him.

However, despite ‘the pressures of Mikel Arteta’, Flick has convinced Bernal to stay at Barcelona and sign a new contract. The deal was confirmed on Wednesday.

The report adds that Flick is so convinced by young Bernal that feels the 17-year-old midfielder has ‘more potential than Busquets’.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with two other midfielders

Bernal is a player with huge potential, and it’s no surprise that Arsenal were interested in him.

However, the priority for Arteta is the present, and they have been linked with moves to sign two Euro 2024-winning midfielders.

Mikel Merino is one player Arsenal are seriously pursuing this summer, and the talented Real Sociedad star would be a great addition.

Arsenal are also in talks to sign Fabian Ruiz from French champions Paris Saint-Germain. The former Napoli star was one of the best midfielders at the Euros, and he would be fantastic for Arteta’s side as well.

It will be interesting to see who Arsenal will bring in to strengthen their midfield in the coming weeks.