Arsenal Fail With Initial €48m Bid for Sampdoria Duo Dennis Praet and Joachim Andersen

Arsenal have had a €48m joint-bid for Dennis Praet and Joachim Andersen rejected by Sampdoria, with the Italians holding out for at least €55m for the pair.

The Gunners' initial offer was deemed insufficient given the collection of clubs registering interest in the pair. The list includes fellow Serie A outfit Milan, who are poised to unveil current Sampdoria boss Marco Giampaolo as their new head coach in the coming weeks.

​Gazzetta dello Sport report that, as the Rossoneri have prioritised the signing of Praet, the Belgian's valuation has increased and the north Londoners must up the proposed sum to land their man.

25-year-old midfielder Praet had an impressive 2018/19 with the Blucerchiati, scoring twice and assisting three goals as the team finished in the top half of the table.

Meanwhile, Danish centre-back Andersen was immaculate in Giampaolo's backline, with the colossal youngster sparkling in his second season in ​Serie A.

The new asking price could possibly deter ​Arsenal after manager Unai Emery was handed a paltry £40m (approximately €45m) budget for the summer transfer window - though a minor price inflation is unlikely discourage the ​Premier League side.

They possess a slender advantage in the race for the two players having held successful negotiations with Sampdoria last summer, purchasing Uruguayan enforcer Lucas Torreira from the northern Italians for a bargain €30m.

Nevertheless, they may be powerless when it comes to the future of Praet, who could have his heart set on a link-up with Giampaolo at ​Milan having spent the last three years under his tutelage.

Losing out to the seven-time European champions in the race for Praet is not necessarily the worst thing for Emery, though, as it would free up funds for and allow for more focus on ​a deal for fellow Belgian Yannick Carrasco.