Arsenal have been heavily linked with the services of Argentina star Cristian Pavon since January but it seems the Gunners will miss out in the market.
The winger impressed in what was a largely disappointing World Cup for Argentina, who crashed out at the round-of-16 stage following a 4-3 defeat to France, and saw his release clause with Boca Juniors raised to €42.5m.
On top of that, TalkSport now cite reports that indicate Barcelona are set to win the charge for the 22-year-old starlet after Lionel Messi personally pushed for the LaLiga champions to complete a swoop for his compatriot.
Barcelona are in the market for a new forward and were heavily linked with Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann prior to the World Cup until the France striker revealed on the eve of the tournament that he was staying in the Spanish capital, signing a new deal with Diego Simeone’s side.
Pavon could now be the ideal alternative and the opportunity of playing Champions League football alongside Messi may prove to be difficult for Arsenal to compete with.
