Arsenal have had a €42m bid for Sampdoria duo Joachim Andersen and Dennis Praet has been turned down by the club’s president, according to reports in Italy.

Tuttosport (via PianetaMilan) report that Arsenal have already put forward a €42m bid for the two players. The offer wasn’t considered satisfactory by Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero, unfortunately.

As Arsenal fans will be well aware, the club has done business with Sampdoria before. The Gunners signed Lucas Torreira from Italy last year, so they should know how to negotiate a deal to its conclusion, assuming they really are keen on the pair.

Andersen is a 23-year-old Danish centre-back with a good physical presence and a strong passing ability. Meanwhile, Praet is a 25-year-old midfielder whose strengths are his passing and through balls.

Praet formed a solid midfield partnership with Torreira before the Uruguayan left for Arsenal. They appeared in 59 games together from 2016 to 2018 with Sampdoria, so they’d already have some chemistry together if they joined back up on the pitch in North London.

The problem is that Arsenal don’t really have the funds for a significantly increased bid. Reports suggest they have £45m to spend before sales, which only leaves around £8m spare from their initial bid, before even considering other positions that might need strengthening.