Arsenal were unable to settle transfers for Jeremy Monge and Louis Page from Leicester due to an unusual approach taken by sporting director Andrea Berta during negotiations, according to reports from BBC Sport.
The North London club showed keen interest in both young talents throughout the summer transfer window, aiming to bolster their squad of promising youngsters with the additions of Monge and Page.
However, Berta preferred negotiating through intermediaries rather than directly with Leicester's representatives. This method isn't uncommon for the Italian, as he has employed a similar approach in other transfer dealings.
In the case of Monge and Page, the lack of direct contact between the clubs is reportedly one of the reasons the deals ultimately fell through.
As a result, Jeremy Monge has joined Manchester City for a fee of around £12 million and has since been loaned out to Swansea City. Meanwhile, Louis Page has opted to stay at Leicester despite late interest from Manchester United.
It's worth noting that Berta's approach isn't entirely unsuccessful. Thanks to his connections with Bruno Guimaraes' camp, he was able to accelerate negotiations for the Brazilian midfielder, who ultimately made the switch from Newcastle to Arsenal.
This leaves Berta's methodology somewhat ambivalent: it has facilitated significant deals for Arsenal, yet it may have cost the club the opportunity to sign two of Leicester's promising players.
