Arsenal transfer news: Why Gunners pulled plug on Malick Fofana transfer as Sunderland agree deal

Arsenal have reportedly missed out on signing Lyon attacker Malick Fofana during the summer transfer window.

The Gunners were reportedly considering a late move for the 21-year-old, who had been on their radar and held talks with Mikel Arteta.

However, Sunderland have been heavily interested in securing his signature and have finally reached an agreement on deadline day.

The Black Cats will reportedly pay around €30m (£25.68m) plus add-ons for Fofana, who has been given permission to undergo a medical.

Fofana is expected to sign a five-year contract in the North East, with the option of a further 12 months, although Sunderland must complete the paperwork before Tuesday's deadline.

Why Arsenal pulled the plug on Malick Fofana deal

The Premier League champions have already signed Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis, who arrived as a replacement for Leandro Trossard.

The Gunners felt the need to add another attacker after sanctioning the departures of Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, who are both expected to complete moves to Al Hilal and Barcelona respectively.

Fofana had been tracked by Arsenal for some time, so it came as little surprise that they identified him as a potential replacement for Martinelli.

According to The Standard, Fofana was understood to be keen on making the move, but Lyon's asking price of around £30m-£35m was more than Arsenal were willing to pay.

Will Arsenal be happy with their signings this summer?

The Gunners grabbed the headlines when they signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United in a big-money deal.

Mikel Arteta also strengthened the defence with the signing of experienced Premier League defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa.

However, Arsenal fans could be disappointed by their reported failure to lure Vinicius Junior away from Real Madrid, particularly when it appeared at one stage that the Brazilian could leave the Bernabeu without signing a new contract.

Likewise, the Gunners were unable to convince Julian Alvarez to leave Atletico Madrid and reject interest from Barcelona in favour of a move to the Premier League, a deal that could have added another dimension to Arteta's attack.