Arsenal have turned down a late bid from Galatasaray to sign midfielder Mohamed Elneny, Sky Sports reports.
The Egypt international has entered the final year of his Gunners contract, and there have been suggestions that he could return to Turkey.
The Turkish transfer window closes at 3.30 pm today. It appears that the Gunners have rejected an offer from Galatasaray for the midfielder.
Elneny, who previously had a loan spell at Besiktas, is now set to stay with the north London club until January at least.
Our view:
The Gunners signed a new midfielder in Albert Sambi Lokonga this summer, but they are still short of options.
Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are likely to be regular starters, with Lokonga and Elneny acting as back up.
However, Xhaka is currently suspended for three domestic games while there is uncertainty over Partey’s fitness.
The Gunners can ill-afford to lose Elneny at the current point of time as they don’t have a replacement at hand.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is another specialist central midfielder in the ranks, but he has barely played in the role.
On that basis, it does not come as a surprise that the Gunners are prepared to keep Elneny despite his contract situation.
The £52,500-per-week star talked about the prospect of landing a new deal earlier this year.
He has been a quality squad player for the club and could still pen terms on a short-term extension.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
Read: Liverpool want to sign Borussia Dortmund midfield sensation Jude Bellingham.