Arsenal's bid to sign Samir Nasri has been put on hold, while Alex Hleb is reportedly set to join Barcelona this week.
The Gunners have been pursuing Nasri since the end of the season and it was claimed last week that they had in fact signed the Marseille playmaker for £12m. However, even though a deal between the two clubs has been agreed, it now appears that the Gunners have been unable to finalise terms with the player.
"Nasri, he interests me," Arsene Wenger is quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. "I hope I will do it after the Euros. It is more complicated now because the wage differences are not as big as they used to be. Just look at Karim Benzema. He is 20 and recently signed a new deal with Lyon.
"England is considered one of the two top leagues and the best players want to play against the best players."
The implication that Arsenal have once again lost out due to their notoriously strict wage structure is unlikely to placate the club's supporters who were promised a major signing within weeks of the season ending. Nor are they likely to be impressed by reports that Hleb - who Nasri was earmarked to replace - is leaving for riches elsewhere.
The Telegraph claims that 'Barcelona are expected to confirm Hleb's arrival at the Nou Camp in the next few days, having beaten off competition from Spanish rivals Real Madrid, as well as Jose Mourinho's new club, Inter Milan.'