Arsenal got as creative as they could in their attempts to convince Inter Milan to let Ivan Perisic leave on loan this window, according to the BBC’s David Ornstein.

With transfer deadline day now upon us, Ornstein gave a full update on the Perisic situation, and why it appears to have fallen through.

According to his report, Arsenal offered to take the winger on loan with an option to buy, which convinced the 29-year-old to hand in a transfer request. However, Inter insisted they’d only sell permanently or with an obligation to buy, not just an option.

In an attempt to get the move over the line, Arsenal offered to pay a penalty fee if they didn’t end up making the loan move permanent in the summer. That way, the worst case scenario for Inter would be that they lose Perisic for a few months and end up richer for it.

Unfortunately, Inter are standing firm, insisting they’ll only let the player go if they can guarantee a transfer fee. The Italian club haven’t made it clear whether Arsenal’s penalty fee was high enough, so presumably going back with a higher offer wouldn’t help. As a result, Ornstein reports that any realistic hope of a late Perisic transfer has now ended.

It’s a bit of a shame, considering the Croatia international was clearly keen on a move, and his experience could’ve seen Arsenal back into the Champions League next season. A return to the top tier of European football could’ve given The Gunners a sufficient boost in funds to make the deal permanent without slashing their budget.

Instead, Arsenal will have to turn to less experienced options, like Denis Suarez and Christopher Nkunku. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the duo could end up being much better signings in the long term. We’ll have to wait and see.