Arsenal transfer news: Andre Gomes on offer to Gunners as Barcelona give up on midfielder

Barcelona are once more trying to persuade Premier League clubs to sign unwanted midfielder Andre Gomes.

Both Tottenham and West Ham showed an interest in the Portugal midfielder last summer but did not conclude a deal.

Now Barcelona hope that Arsenal will move for a player who is thought to be admired by their new boss, Unai Emery.

Gomes was signed from Valencia in 2016 and they may attempt to bring him back to the Mestalla.

The 24-year-old has 29 Portugal caps but did not make the World Cup squad.

Much was expected of Gomes when he moved to Barcelona, as he had developed into one of the best attacking midfielders in La Liga since joining Valencia from Benfica in 2014.

But he struggled to reach the standards required of a Barcelona player and admitted last season that he had found it difficult to cope.

“I don’t feel good on the pitch,” Gomes told Panenka magazine in March. “I am not enjoying what I am doing. The first six months were pretty good but then things changed. Maybe it’s not the right word to use, but it has turned into a kind of hell, because I have started to feel more pressure... The feeling that I have during games is bad.

“I close myself off. I don’t allow myself to get rid of the frustration I have. I don’t talk to anybody. It’s like I feel ashamed. Thinking too much has hurt me. I think about the bad things and what I have to do.”