Final goodbye? £65m Arsenal target absent from his club’s latest matchday squad, player could be in London to meet Mikel Arteta

Arsenal have been linked with Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in recent days.

David Ornstein claims in The Athletic that the Gunners are one of a number of clubs admiring the 25-year-old midfielder.

However, Arsenal are behind in their pursuit of Dewsbury-Hall, who is reportedly the subject of negotiations between Leicester and Brighton.

Ornstein reported that the Foxes want around £30 million for the player. He added that there is a gap in the valuation but that talks are ongoing.

Arsenal had a quiet transfer window due to FFP restrictions. The only important thing was that Marquinhos returned from Nantes.

There is certainly a chance for the Gunners to strengthen their midfield, and Dewsbury-Hall would certainly be a good choice for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Interestingly, Leicester boss Enzo Maresca omitted a reported Gunners and Seagulls goal from his squad for the game on Saturday.

Maresca told the Leicester Mercury that “the reason he is not in the squad is that we have rested him, Harry Winks and Jannik for Tuesday’s game”.

So maybe it’s just a false alarm, but it’s not uncommon for players not to take risks in matches when there’s transfer activity going on behind the scenes.

Maresca furthermore refused to rule out a transfer, saying: “It is not a question for me. In the end, we need some balance. We will see.

“Anyway, I won’t say anything because Kiernan is our player. As soon as something happens I will say what I think about it.”

However, Arsenal must act quickly if they want to make a move to Dewsbury-Hall ahead of Brighton, as talks are reportedly ongoing and there is always a risk of a breakthrough.