Arsenal’s hopes of signing Yannick Carrasco have received a boost after the winger was suspended by his Chinese club, Dalian Yifang.

The 25-year-old returned late from international duty with Belgium last week and missed his team’s match against Hebei CFFC.

He issued an apology on social media, but that has failed to placate club bosses who released a terse statement.

“Yannick Carrasco of Dalian Football Club was absent from the away game against Hebei China Fortune and missed training,” it read.

“The club now imposes the following penalties on him: Carrasco to apologise to the team within three days and stop training.

“The club has always attached importance to the team’s discipline construction, and no individual is above the collective.

“The club treats everyone equally.”

Carrasco began his career with Monaco, before securing a big-money move to Atletico Madrid in 2015.

The winger switched to China in February 2018, but he failed to settle and has been angling for a move back to Europe.

The transfer fee could be a sticking point, with Dalian Yifang setting an asking price of around £35 million earlier this year.

However, this latest development could work in Arsenal’s favour and an offer in the region of £30m may seal the deal.