Arsenal reportedly tried to bring Valentin Antov to the club during the summer but the shadow of Brexit made the deal much harder to complete than normal.

BERN, SWITZERLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Valentin Antov of ZSKA Sofia (C) reacts on Young Boys openings goal during the UEFA Europa League Group A stage match between BSC Young Boys and CSKA-Sofia at Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf on November 5, 2020 in Bern, Switzerland. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Valentin Antov BERN of ZSKA Sofia (C) reacts on Young Boys openings goal during the UEFA Europa League Group A stage match between BSC Young Boys and CSKA-Sofia at Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf on November 5, 2020 in Bern, Switzerland. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

There are many downsides to Brexit and the impact it now has on the decision of players to come to these shores is one of them.

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 01: Matteo Guendouzi of Hertha BSC is challenged by Felix Klaus of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and VfL Wolfsburg at Olympiastadion on November 01, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

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STUTTGART, GERMANY: Shkodran Mustafi (L) and Sead Kolasinac of Schalke walk out of the tunnel to warm up for the Bundesliga match between VfB Stuttgart and FC Schalke 04 at Mercedes-Benz Arena on February 27, 2021. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

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WOLFSBURG, GERMANY: Sead Kolasinac of FC Schalke 04 looks dejected during the DFB Cup Round of Sixteen match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Schalke 04 at Volkswagen Arena on February 03, 2021. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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Take Valentin Antov, who, if the press in Italy are to be believed, could have signed for Arsenal in the summer.

In the end, the centreback stayed with CSKA Sofia before moving on loan to Bologna in the January transfer window. The Italians have a €3.5m option to buy in the deal as well.

According to an interview in Il Resto del Calino with Antonv and his girlfriend, they write, ‘perhaps today they would make a steady couple in London if Brexit had not put a spoke in the wheel of the transfer to the Premier League’.

A 20-year-old right-footed centreback, there was little-to-no mention in the media of Arsenal’s interest in Antov during any transfer window.

If there was any, it was fleeting.