Arsenal scout Pavel Kucherov has poured doubt over the club making an approach for CSKA Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, claiming that the youngster "is not talented enough".
The 20-year-old, who has played a direct part in six goals for the Russian club this season, was reported to have been made the subject of a £10m bid by the Gunners.
Those reports appear to be wide of the mark, however, as the man in charge of overlooking Arsenal's transfer activity in Eastern Europe has insisted that talk of a big-money move for the midfielder is "unrealistic" at this stage.
"This player is not talented enough for European level and it's unrealistic to discuss his transfer to a top EPL club," he told Russian outlet Sport. "Alexander would need to improve his football in general, as well as his physical, psychological and mental attributes."
Golovin, who broke into the Russia national team in 2015, has also previously been linked with a move to fellow Premier League side Chelsea.
Daniel Lewis
