Arsenal are one of the teams who have had a bid rejected for Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic this summer, according to reports in the Italian media.

The 6ft 5in defender has less than a year left on his contract and the Viola had made him available for around €20m (£17m).

It led to approaches from the Gunners, Juventus, Inter Milan and Sevilla but the offers were turned down by Fiorentina, who are now looking to tie the Serbian international down to a longer-term deal.

The departure of Pablo Mari means that Mikel Arteta’s side will have fewer centre-half options. The club have been on the lookout for a replacement, having eyed a move for Lisandro Martinez before he made the switch to Manchester United.

However, it has been assumed that Arsenal are pursuing a left-footed player, and Milenkovic doesn’t fall into that category. Perhaps the Gunners were simply looking to take advantage of his low asking price.