Arsenal were “offered” the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian journalist claims that the Gunners turned down the opportunity to recruit the Argentinian international as they had prioritised a move for Gabriel Jesus instead:

“Mauro Icardi was an option offered to the club in recent months and it was decided not to proceed because they were looking for a different striker, Edu has always had Gabriel Jesus in mind as a priority. Sometimes the refusal is for technical reasons, other times for economic reasons.”

While Icardi does have an excellent goalscoring record, the London club made a wise decision by opting against making an offer for the striker.

Even if we ignore all the stuff relating to his agent and wife Wanda Nara, Icardi is 29 year of age, which is four years older than Jesus. He also lacks the Brazilian’s Premier League experience, and his all-round game is not as suited to Mikel Arteta’s high-pressing style.

In addition, you have to consider that technical director Edu had been working on the deal to sign Jesus for months, and Arsenal would probably have only shifted targets if a far superior player had come onto the market. Icardi certainly wasn’t that player.