Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claims Arsenal have beaten him to the signature of Ricardo Alvarez.

Palermo president concedes defeat in chase for Argentine ace

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claims Arsenal have beaten him to the signature of Ricardo Alvarez. The Serie A outfit were hoping to pip the Gunners to the post and tempt the Velez Sarsfield midfielder to Italy. Reports on Friday suggested they were still in that particular hunt, with no deal agreed for his transfer as yet. Zamparini, though, has now conceded defeat in the race and revealed that the highly-rated 23-year-old is on his way to England. "We did have a concrete bid for Alvarez and had him in our grasp back in January," he told. "Unfortunately, we didn't complete the move in time, so we lost him to Arsenal. "At this moment he has already signed for the Gunners."