Arsenal negotiations to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus collapsed recently and now it is being reported that there is practically zero chance of him moving to Arsenal this month.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia a few days ago, Gianluca Di Marzio claimed Arthur Melo’s move to Arsenal was off, with the potential deal now having passed into the realms of what could have been.

Fabrizio Romano backed up that claim, writing on Twitter that negotiations have collapsed as things stand.

The Athletic recently reported that Arsenal had declined to enter formal negotiations with Juventus for Arthur, as the club hierarchy didn’t approve of the agreement technical director Edu Gaspar presented to the Serie A side.

Now, La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport in Spain, report that Arthur will not be going to Arsenal and will finish the season with Juventus.

Arsenal’s initial plan was to sign Arthur on loan for six months, but Juventus would only let him go for 18.

Edu and Federico Cherubini eventually agreed on an 18-month loan with a €40m option to buy, but Arsenal then decided against it.

According to Romeo Agresti of Goal Italia, Juventus have no plans to change their position. They’re only open to an 18-month loan.

Mikel Arteta is keen on the player, but unless there is a major u-turn somewhere in the next 24+ hours, he’s set to remain with Juventus for the rest of the season, which also tallies with information we were given.

It’s a shame, as Arsenal were reportedly confident at one stage of securing an agreement to sign Arthur on the six-month loan they wanted.

But Juventus pushed for a greater commitment and that’s led to the deal falling apart.

Arteta and Edu are long-term admirers of Arthur, and the player himself was interested in the move.

He believed the Premier League would give him a platform to fight his way into the Brazil squad ahead of the World Cup.

Perhaps one to come back to in the summer…