Arsenal have encountered a new stumbling block in their pursuit of Arthur Melo, with Juventus reportedly demanding an unrealistic swap deal in order to complete the transfer.
The Gunners are looking to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season as they try to beat Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United to the final top four spot.
A £150 million summer spending spree assisted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in improving a number of weaknesses in his team, but a worrying gap in central midfield remains.
That chasm became even more apparent following Granit Xhaka's red card in the Carabao Cup draw at Liverpool, with Mohamed Elneny and others also receiving yellow cards and Thomas Partey away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Arteta believed he had found the right man to fill that void in Juventus star Arthur, who has struggled for regular playing time under Massimiliano Allegri.
Juve were thought to be ready to sanction a loan move for the Brazilian midfielder, who only joined the Serie A giants from Barcelona 18 months ago.
The transfer appeared to be moving quickly, with Goal Brazil reporting on Thursday that the 25-year-old had agreed personal terms with Arsenal.
Arthur, who has only started three games in the Italian top flight, is eager to leave the Allianz Stadium, but Juve refused to sanction the deal until they found a replacement.
They initially hoped that the replacement would be Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is far down the pecking order.
Instead of loaning him out for the third time in his career, Blues manager Thomas Tuchel wants him to stay.
"We haven't discussed it, he's had a lot of game time, I would say," Tuchel said ahead of Chelsea's loss to Manchester City.
"If you look at the previous years and this season, I believe he's had a lot of game time and a lot to fight for here." We discuss Ruben, and that is my personal opinion."
Arsenal, it is claimed, has turned down the proposal because they 'would not entertain' losing the Ghana international.
The unrealistic demand for Partey adds another stumbling block to the Gunners' ability to complete the deal, with Allegri dropping the first hints that Arthur would indeed stay on Friday.
"I've already said it, this is our team, and we need to finish the season as best we can with the current squad," the Juve manager said.
"This means finishing in the top four in the league, progressing in the Champions League, and winning the Coppa Italia on Tuesday." We're growing as a team; all we have to do now is stay calm."
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A £150 million summer spending spree assisted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in improving a number of weaknesses in his team, but a worrying gap in central midfield remains. 
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