Arsenal had the chance to sign Barcelona wonderkid Pedri from Las Palmas a few years ago but passed up the opportunity.
Pedri has since emerged as one of the brightest young midfield talents in world football, performing outstandingly for Barça while also shining for Spain at Euro 2020 during the summer.
Arsenal's transfer strategy has been somewhat erratic in recent years though this summer has seen them target young players with room for development, with Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale all recently moving to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph has revealed the Gunners could have snared the 18-year-old from Las Palmas before he made the switch to Camp Nou, but elected not to.
While the north London side now regularly play the likes of Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny in midfield, with Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka their big hopes for the future, Pedri has shone for a Barça side since his 2020 debut, making 52 appearances in all competitions last season alone.
The signing of Miralem Pjanic has not worked out for the club, while Sergio Busquets is approaching the twilight of his career - although the 33-year-old did enjoy an excellent Euro 2020 and remains an important first team player in Catalonia.
Pedri is seen a key player for the future at Barça, with midfield partner Frenkie de Jong also enjoying plenty of game time and returning impressive performances since his 2019 move from Ajax.
While Arsenal have lost their opening three Premier League games and are rooted at the bottom of the division, Barça have started brightly, winning two and drawing one of their La Liga outings.
With no Lionel Messi, new signing Memphis Depay has stepped up in the goalscoring department, netting twice in three league games. Martin Braithwaite and Sergi Roberto have also found the net with regularity at this early stage of the season.
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Source : 90min