Arsenal dodged a major bullet as player they bid £60m for makes strange move

Sometimes the best transfers are the ones that never happen.

In January 2025, Arsenal made an approach to Brighton for Evan Ferguson.

The bid was in excess of £50million, with the striker valued at around £60million at the time.

Brighton turned it down, insisting they would only consider a loan rather than a permanent sale.

Arsenal, unable to do a Premier League loan after already having Raheem Sterling and Neto on the books, opted not to pursue it.

Kai Havertz got injured shortly after and Mikel Arteta was forced to convert Mikel Merino into a striker for the rest of the season.

Eighteen months later, Ferguson is set for what would be a strange loan move.

Evan Ferguson set for loan move to Genoa

Indeed, Ferguson is now apparently set to be loaned out to Genoa in Serie A, according to Ben Jacobs.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s YouTube channel, Jacobs said: “Genoa, according to Italian sources, are showing an interest in a loan move for the Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.”

Ferguson spent last season at Roma, but injuries limited him to 16 Serie A appearances, scoring just three goals.

The Irishman was once tipped to become ‘the next Harry Kane’, but consistent setbacks have derailed his development completely.

In 2023, he scored a Premier League hat-trick at just 18 years old, becoming the fourth youngest to do so.

Still 21, there’s still plenty of time for Ferguson to turn it back around and fulfil the huge potential that once made him one of the most coveted young strikers in Europe.

But it’s not something Arsenal will be willing to gamble on anymore.

He has not kicked on in the way many expected, and a loan to Genoa is a very long way from the trajectory Arsenal were essentially being asked to spend £60million on.

Instead, they signed Viktor Gyokeres six months later who, despite his flaws, scored 21 goals in his debut season and helped the Gunners end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

The Swede’s technical limitations could still tempt Arteta to look for a different solution, however, with names like Julian Alvarez and Victor Osimhen still floating around.