Arsenal have reportedly told Barcelona that Sead Kolasinac will cost €22m prompting the Spanish side to look elsewhere for a cheaper option.

A few days ago it was reported that Sead Kolasinac is on Barcelona’s shortlist of left-backs to sign this summer.

Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona have put together a list of possible left-back signings to provide competition for their current first-choice in the position, Jordi Alba.

They were supposedly working on a budget of €30m and considering a variety of factors in their search, including knowledge of La Liga and experience at the top level, as well as ability, of course. Despite lacking experience in Spain, Kolasinac has nonetheless made the list.

MD claimed Barcelona are considering Kolasinac because he is so different from Alba. As a much more physical and powerful left-back, they think the Bosnian defender would give their team a good alternative option in certain matches.

They stated Arsenal would reportedly ask for around €20-25m for the 25-year-old, which would all be profit on what they spent to bring him in as a free transfer.

That’s exactly what Arsenal seem to have done and, despite being well within their budget, the Catalans aren’t prepared to pay Kolasinac’s market value – something they tend to try with Arsenal quite a lot.

Despite beginning the season with a knee injury, Kolasinac ended up making 36 appearances, providing seven assists in all competitions. He became more and more important to the team as the season went on, mostly because Nacho Monreal was moved to centre-back and there were no alternatives in the squad.

It seems unlikely Arsenal would want to sell. Even if they want an upgrade on Kolasinac, they’d be better off keeping him as a backup than signing two left-backs in one window.