Arsenal and Liverpool have been given fresh hope of signing Jean-Michael Seri from Nice after his proposed move to Barcelona fell through, reports in Spain say.
Seri has emerged as a target for a number of clubs this summer and Tottenham are also believed to be admirers of the 26-year-old midfielder.
Breaking into Nice’s first-team in 2015, Seri impressed for the French club last season and has been heavily linked with Barcelona in recent days.
The La Liga giants were even said to have agreed a fee with Nice and personal terms with the Ivory Coast international as they prepared to bring him to Camp Nou.
However, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo say Barca have had a sudden change in heart and last night decided to pull out of the race.
Seri has a £36million release clause written into his current contract but it is claimed Barcelona have opted to focus on alternative targets, with Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho high on their list.
The twist may pave the way for Seri to join a Premier League club – Arsene Wenger remains open to signing an ‘exceptional’ player before the window closes and expressed an interest in the Ivorian last month.
Liverpool could also revive their interest in the versatile midfielder, however, with little over a week remaining of the current transfer window.
Speaking about the market, Wenger said yesterday: ‘I am very pleased with our market because we bought good players who can integrate with our style of play.
‘That’s what we want. On the other hand, it is very difficult. Today, the prices are out of proportion. The transfer market has become very demanding today.
‘There is no transfer market anymore because the price depends only on the identity of the buyer and when you are English, you have straight away 50 per cent [extra] on the price of a player and that makes it difficult to act.’
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