Arsenal made 'last-minute approach' for £55m star at the Emirates

Arsenal target Ferran Torres became a ‘last-minute thought’ as they tried to sign an attacker ahead of Thursday’s deadline, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Gunners were in the market for another attacker after allowing Nicolas Pepe to join OGC Nice in the summer but were unable to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s options in the final third of the pitch.

Spanish outlet El Nacional, have reported that Arsenal had a bid rejected by Barca for Torres in the final days of the transfer window.

It’s claimed that the offer was worth around £26 million and that the Catalan giants’ hierarchy initially believed it to be acceptable only for Xavi to end the negotiations.

The 42-year-old tactician reportedly delt it wasn’t the right time to let Torres depart Camp Nou just six months after his arrival from Manchester City in a big-money move.

Barca splashed out an initial £46.7m to prise the Spain international away from the Etihad Stadium with a further £8.5m to be paid in potential add-ons.

However, the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have pushed Torres down Xavi’s pecking order and he has struggled to find his best form in a Barcelona shirt.

Jones has revealed that Torres has been on Arsenal’s radar for some time but signing him in the previous window ‘just wasn’t possible’.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “With Ferran, he became a last-minute thought. He’s a player that they tried to sign earlier in Arteta’s reign, but it just wasn’t possible.

“So, it was kind of just revisiting a situation that they’d looked at before because of how many players Barcelona basically have, but it just wasn’t achievable.”

Torres showed glimpses of his true potential for the Blaugrana last term, registering seven goals and six