Brighton have confirmed the signing of Yasin Ayari, a move that will certainly attract attention from north London.
Ayari has signed a four-and-a-half year contract after making the move to Swedish side AIK, with the midfielder seen by some as a replacement for Moises Caicedo.
The Gunners continue to push to try and bring Caicedo to the Emirates before Tuesday’s deadline, though have had a second bid worth £70million rejected by Brighton who continue to insist they will not sell the Colombian.
Reports suggest Arsenal will not give up on Caicedo and are preparing a latest bid of £70m plus £5m in add-ons, though that still will not meet the Seagulls’ valuation.
Arsenal are desperate to add a midfielder to their ranks before the end of the window, and would have taken encouragement from Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi’s latest comments.
“I would like that he can finish the season with us but we are ready to go forward without him,” De Zerbi said.
“I think we need some players in some positions — I spoke a lot with Tony [Bloom, the owner] he knows very well my opinion because we are a good team but we can improve also from the transfer market.
“We lost Leandro Trossard [to Arsenal], if we lose also Caicedo it can be a problem for us.”
Brighton’s technical director David Weir was delighted to seal a move for Ayari, who at 19 made his senior debut for Sweden last month.
“Yasin is a versatile and technical midfield player, who is good on the ball and capable of playing across the midfield,” Weir told the club’s official website.
“He’s had an impressive spell in Sweden with AIK, and we are delighted to have completed his transfer and to be welcoming him to the club.
“He will need time to settle here and acclimatise to the Premier League, but we are really looking forward to working with him.”
