Arsenal are interested in signing Nottingham Forest right-back Djed Spence who is on loan with them from fellow Championship side Middlesbrough.
The 21-year-old played against the Gunners in the FA Cup, and his ability to get up and down the flank and support the attack impressed Mikel Arteta so much that they want to take their interest further.
Spence, who is valued at £10 million, has made 20 appearances for Forest this season, scoring once.
The North London club though face competition with both Roma and Inter Milan also reported to be tracking him.
Despite signing Japanese international Tomiyasu Takehiro last summer, the Gunners are still looking for defensive reinforcements at right-back, with concerns as the quality of the current available back-ups.
Any deal though done in January will have to involve a loan back – because Spence has already played for his parent club at the start of the season, Football League rules prohibit him from playing for a third side in one campaign.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.