Arsenal have sold striker Takuma Asano to Serbian side Partizan Belgrade.
Asano was signed by Arsène Wenger in July 2016 from Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and the Frenchman identified him as a potential star of the future. However, the Premier League refused to grant him a work permit, and he embarked instead on loan moves to German sides Vfb Stuttgart and Hannover 96, managing just six goals in his time in Germany.
He never pulled on an Arsenal shirt in anger and now, very much surplus to requirements at the Emirates, he has been sold to the Serbian team who are now managed by former Aston Villa striker Savo Milosević.
The fee of £1 million will be paid in three instalments, and means that Arsenal have made a loss of £2.5 million on the 24 year old.
The Japanese international has signed a three year deal with the SuperLiga team.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.