Arsenal pull out of Demba Ba deal

Arsenal have reportedly ended their interest in a late swoop for Chelsea striker Demba Ba.

The Gunners were thought to see Ba as a short-term solution to their shortage of forwards, with an injury to Lukas Podolski leaving Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo as the only fit strikers at the Emirates.

Chelsea are thought to have received an official enquiry from Arsenal for Ba this afternoon, but will not do business for anything less than a £3m loan fee.

That price has put Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger off a last-ditch move for the Senegalese forward, according to Sky Sports News.

Ba continues to be linked with a whole host of clubs across Europe with the transfer deadline drawing ever closer, including West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli and Valencia.