Arsenal appear to have missed out on one of their January transfer targets after Spanish newspapers revealed that Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero is closing in on a move to Malaga.
The 24-year-old have been viewed as a possible signing for Arsenal who are still keen to find long-term replacements for the recently departed duo of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
The north London club have been tracking the former Spain Under-21 midfielder for some time and had hoped to be able to persuade him to make a move to the Emirates.
Granero has struggled to become a regular at Real Madrid where he has the likes of Kaka, Mesut Ozil, Gokhan Inler and Nuri Sahin all ahead of him for a place in the centre of midfield.
The attacking midfielder has made more than 50 appearances for Los Blancos but has never managed to become a regular starter and is often deployed from the bench.
Tottenham had also watched Granero in action and had considered him as a possible replacement, had Luka Modric managed to force a move to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Reports in Spain suggest that Granero would prefer to stay in La Liga and may end up at big spending Malaga.
Under their new Qatari owners, Malaga have shown their willingness to spend big and have brought the likes of Santi Cazorla, Julio Baptista, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Joaquin to the club.
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