The agent of Hellas Verona defender Amir Rrahmani, Adrian Aliaj, has claimed that Arsenal were keen on his client before his move to Napoli.
Rrahmani has been a key player for Verona this season, making 26 appearances in all competitions and playing a crucial role in helping the side have one of the meanest defences in Serie A.
His performances have not gone unnoticed and, like teammate Marash Kumbulla, plenty of sides have been linked with an interest.
Arsenal were one of them, with Corriere Dello Sport reporting in January that the Gunners had made contact over a possible move.
Unfortunately for them, they had been beaten to the punch by Napoli, who secured a £12m deal midway through January before loaning the defender back to Verona for the remainder of the season.
His agent has now confirmed Arsenal’s interest but insists that it was never more than that from Mikel Arteta’s side.
“Arsenal observed Amir, as they have done with other players who play in the Italian championship,” he told Sports né KTV.
“But they have not made any phone calls or official proposals.
“Then there were two Bundesliga teams and a Spanish one on the boy: a sports director also called us, and we talked with him about concrete things…”