Arsenal may recall Lucas Torreira from his loan spell with Atlético Madrid.
The Uruguayan international joined the Spanish side on a season-long loan in October, but with no option to buy included in the deal.
However, he has started only two La Liga games for them, and there are suspicions that Atlético are deliberately trying to drive down his price by not playing him.
The Gunners want to protect the value of a plater who remains under contract at the Emirates, and are now considering recalling him and loaning him to another club instead, with Fiorentina said to be interested.
The relationship between Arsenal and Atlético has been strained since transfer deadline day when the Gunners signed Thomas Partey by triggering his release clause directly with the Spanish Federation. They were fully within their rights to do so, but Atlético believe they should have been consulted first.
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.