Noa Lang has suggested Arsenal made a late attempt to sign him in January, but it was no longer possible at that stage in the window.

Arsenal let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave for Barcelona in the latter stages of the January transfer window, but they failed to sign their preferred replacement in Dusan Vlahovic.

Club Brugge’s Noa Lang was also linked with the Gunners last season, and he says the problem was that a potential deal was so last-minute.

“Because one of them only really left at the last minute (Aubameyang), they wanted to hire someone quickly,” Lang said (via Sport Witness). “But that was no longer possible.”

As for a potential summer departure from Brugge, Lang seemed pretty sure of his decision.

“In my head, yes (I’m leaving this summer). You never know what will happen, of course, but it’s really not planned to stay at Club for another year.

“I could have left last year, but I’m grateful that I stayed one more season. I really learned a lot this year, and now I’m more ready for the next step.”

Jeunes Footeux reported in March that Lang was catching the eye with his strong performances this season, and Arsenal joined Leicester City in showing some of the strongest interest in him.

Late last year, a couple of Belgian outlets reported that interest in Noa Lang was increasingly considerably ahead of the January transfer window.

They claimed Arsenal were preparing a €30m bid for the player in January, but Brugge were hoping for €40m. Whether or not the Gunners actually made a formal bid in the end is unclear.

Lang scored nine goals and assisted 15 in 48 appearances this season. The 22-year-old is under contract in Belgium until 2025, and he’s also a full international for the Netherlands.