Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has confirmed that Denis Suarez's move to Arsenal should be completed soon.
A proposed loan move for the 25-year-old to the Emirates Stadium had appeared to be all but dead earlier in the window, after the two parties failed to agree terms for the midfielder. However, earlier on Tuesday reports revealed that the deal is back on and expected to be completed imminently.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Suarez will first sign a contract extension at Camp Nou, before moving on loan to Arsenal until the end of the current campaign.
While an obligation to buy was thought to be the initial sticking point in negotiations between the two clubs, it appears that the Gunners will pay an upfront loan fee of around £2m for Suarez and have a non-mandatory option to make the deal permanent.
Speaking at his press conference on Tuesday ahead of Barcelona's clash with Sevilla, Valverde confirmed the deal.
"Denis Suarez is on the verge of joining Arsenal," Valverde said (via the Mirror).
"There is not much left to make it official, we hope he does well, he has always acted with dedication and we are happy with him."
Suarez, who won the 2015 Europa League under Unai Emery, has made just two La Liga appearances this season and eight in all competitions, scoring twice.
Having re-joined Barcelona in 2016 from Villarreal, Suarez has found regular game time difficult, making 71 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Source : 90min