Earlier this week it was reported that Arsenal had agreed a deal to bring Yacine Brahimi to the club on a free transfer but all does not seem to be as it appears.

The 29-year-old Algerian winger Yacine Brahimi is out of contract with FC Porto and has been offered contracts by Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas however it was Arsenal who reportedly convinced him to join according to reports from Portugal.

A Bola claimed that Arsenal had agreed to pay the player a €4m signing on bonus with their information coming from Gazette du Fennec, an Algerian site. An announcement would come at the end of the AFCON.

Then, the story developed somewhat and it became ‘Arsenal are expected to make a second bid for Wilfried Zaha ‘imminently’, with Yacine Brahimi lined up as an alternative if talks stall.’

The Evening Standard claimed Arsenal are preparing an improved bid for Wilfried Zaha after their initial £40m offer was knocked back by Crystal Palace. The Gunners are set to make a new offer imminently, though there’s certainly no guarantee of success.

Palace reportedly want £80m for the winger, so Arsenal would have to include players in a deal or sell to fund a bigger offer.

If they can’t find an agreement with the Premier League side, the Gunners could turn to Yacine Brahimi instead. Brahimi is available on a free transfer from Porto, though he’s looking for a £3m signing-on fee. His wages aren’t thought to be a problem.

Zaha is still the priority, and one player Arsenal could look to include in a deal is Calum Chambers. Palace previously made a £16m bid for Chambers in 2017, which Arsenal turned down as they wanted £20m.

Two years later, after the defender’s strong individual season with Fulham (winning their fan player of the season award), he could make a significant makeweight in the deal.

Chambers’ ability to play right-back could be particularly appealing after Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure. This is all just speculation though, until Arsenal actually come back with a bid.