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Arsenal turned down the chance to acquire the services of Argentine striker Mauro Icardi in a potential swap deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Icardi is currently with PSG where he has scored 38 goals in 87 appearances, although he mainly has to be content with appearances off the pitch.
However, the Gunners turned down the opportunity because Icardi does not fit the profile of player that they want, the club instead preferring to wait until the summer when their desired targets may be available and at an affordable price. He is also older than the type of player they want.
There was also the sense that, having got rid of one high profile player in Aubameyang, whose off the field activities were a source of frustration to Mikel Arteta and his staff, they were not prepared to sign another, given the circus that usually surrounds Icardi and his wife and agent, Wanda Nara.
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.