Arsenal turned down the opportunity to sign centre-back Domagoj Vida from Besiktas last summer, according to Turkish outlet Aksam, as cited on Sport Witness.
The Gunners are believed to have initially offered €12 million for the 29-year-old, which was deemed worthy by the Turkish giants, if they were to receive David Ospina and the cash in return.
While Ospina was long-term second choice behind Petr Cech in goal, Arsenal preferred to loan the Colombian international to Napoli, with an option to purchase for €3.5m at the end of the season.
Besiktas, while unsuccessful in selling Vida last summer, are reportedly still keen to offload the Croatian, despite him shining for the World Cup finalists in Russia.
Having signed him on a free transfer from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2018, where he won two Ukrainian Premier League titles and three domestic cup competitions, Besiktas are hoping to make a decent profit on the defender.
Whether Arsenal will reignite their chase for Vida remains unclear. Besiktas may be willing to reduce their demands, as the World Cup heroics become less memorable by the month, or Unai Emery simply may not deem the Croatian a necessary buy.
Regardless, the North London side have suffered multiple injuries to key defenders of late, and recruiting a solid-at-the-back international, such as Vida, could be paramount in their bid to push for the title.
