[ad_pod ]

Arsenal have no chance of signing Eric Bailly on loan from Manchester United this month, per ESPN.

ESPN have been linking the Gunners with a move for Bailly for quite some time, but the most recent report claims Manchester United have no plans to do business with a Premier League rival.

What's the word?

A source close to the player, according to ESPN's report, claimed that it is "impossible" for Bailly to move to north London in this transfer window.

The report states that Unai Emery had targeted a move for Bailly to bolster his defence but that the offer was snubbed out of hand, with United holding no appetite to do business with the Gunners.

The offer had reportedly involved a purchase clause for the summer, suggesting that there could be further interest at the end of the season.

Pl>ymaker FC believes Arsenal fans won't have to wait long to see Unai Emery's long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video below to find out why...

Bailly appeared to fall out of favour under Jose Mourinho, playing just seven times in the Premier League, with two of those appearances lasting a minute, against Burnley and Watford.

The Ivory Coast international started his first game under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Bournemouth but was sent off, leaving him suspended for the wins over Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, and he was only named on the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

Desperation setting in

Arsenal have yet to do any business at all in the January transfer window.

A deal for Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez, per the Daily Mirror, is in doubt, with the two clubs struggling to negotiate a fee for the 25-year-old.

And this offer for Bailly strikes of desperation, with Emery scrambling to strengthen his squad.

Arsenal have hit a difficult patch of form, and have not won away from home in the Premier League since November.

New signings are necessary if they are to break out of their funk and qualify for the Champions League, but it now appears certain that Bailly will not be one of them.

The 24-year-old would have brought steel to the club's defence, but alarm bells will surely be ringing; Arsenal cannot even afford to bring in a player who is struggling to get into United's starting XI.