Inler has been linked with Arsenal almost all summer as, following the departure of Gilberto Silva, Aliaksandr Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, the Gunners’ priority in the summer transfer market has been to sign a centre midfielder.
So far manager Arsene Wenger has not brought in any replacements, and their dismal 1-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday suggested that the Gunners are not strong enough in the middle-of-the-park.
Any hope of signing Inler now appears to have been lost as the player’s agent Dino Lambrini has confirmed that his client has rejected a move to the Emirates.
“We have decided that Inler remains in Udinese,” he explained.
“Any player would want to play for Arsenal of course, but for Inler this may be perhaps a little early. Maybe a season too early.”
The 24-year-old only joined Udinese last year from FC Zurich but had a superb first season in Serie A, and then crowned this with a fine Euro 2008 for Switzerland. The schemer, who has also been associated with a move to Liverpool, Juventus and Inter, is valued at €10m.
Having failed in their bid to sign Inler, it now appears possible that Arsenal will not be bringing in any centre midfielders before the end of the transfer window. Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, and Xabi Alonso of Liverpool are still possibilities, but with both cup-tied from Europe, and commanding high fees, things are looking bleak down this avenue.