Alex Song: Moving Talented Midfielder Would Be Another Step Back for Arsenal

One day after agreeing to terms with Manchester United to send Robin van Persie to Old Trafford, it appears Arsenal is close to letting another player leave.

This time, it's defensive midfielder Alex Song, who is destined for Barcelona.

Wayne Veysey of Goal.com reports the Gunners and Blaugrana are wrapping up talks, with a fee of around £15 million expected. He states there was recently "a breakthrough in talks between the two clubs" after a couple of weeks of discussions about Song's future at Emirates.

Losing two key pieces so close to the start of a new season would be a tough pill to swallow for the Gunners and their fans. It would also be a major step back after having a terrific finish to last season, which allowed them to qualify for the Champions League.

Not only would Arsenal lose its captain and top goal scorer in Van Persie, but also another player who rose to prominence with the club in Song. He first broke through as a defensive midfielder before showing more playmaking skill last season.

His versatility is what caused a top-tier club like Barcelona to show interest, and will be difficult to replace for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The long-time boss has watched a handful of talented players walk out the door over the past two seasons.

While he's often fought hard to keep his stars, it usually reaches a point at which there's only so much he can do before having to accept the best offer he can find. Unfortunately, the exodus puts the club behind the proverbial eight ball with just days left before the opener.

In the case of Van Persie, the Gunners were at least able to bring in some reinforcements prior to accepting Manchester United's offer. Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud were both added to provide some depth up front.

The same can't be said for Song. It would be tough to replace him on such short notice, since the window closes in a couple of weeks, which means Arsenal will likely have to find somebody to fill the void from within again.

Last season, the Gunners were able to overcome the losses of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to finish third in the Premier League. Losing a massive amount of talent is eventually going to catch up with them, though.

No deal for Song has officially been announced yet, which means there's still a chance he could remain at Emirates, but it sounds like a final agreement is close.

It would be another setback for a team which was having a good offseason up until Wednesday.