Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi reportedly rejected Arsenal in order to move to the Italian Serie A giants this summer.

The 30-year-old midfielder moved to Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, rejecting interest from a handful of Premier League teams in the process. That’s according to Le10 Sport, who claim that Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City were the teams interested.

Matuidi was set to leave PSG when he turned down a contract extension. It was during the early months of the summer that Arsenal were linked with him. At the time, it seemed like it’d be a shrewd option for the Gunners. However, they didn’t make a move, and the French international ended up at Juventus.

In fairness, Arsene Wenger was unlikely to beat Juventus to a player. While Arsenal could probably offer more money, the perennial Serie A champions are almost guaranteed to win the league title and were Champions League finalists last season. The box-to-box midfielder has arguably made a step-up from PSG.

Arsenal do need a central midfielder who can help protect the back four and will now have to look elsewhere. Matuidi spent six years at PSG after joining them from St. Etienne in 2011. Supporters are left to rue the failure to sign another talented player.