Arsenal have been linked with Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in recent days.
David Ornstein claimed in The Athletic that the Gunners are one of several clubs admiring the 25-year-old midfielder.
However, Arsenal are behind in the race for Dewsbury-Hall, who is reportedly the subject of negotiations between Leicester and Brighton.
Ornstein reported that the Foxes want around £30million for the player. There’s a gap in valuation but talks are ongoing, he added.
Arsenal have had a quiet transfer window due to FFP constraints. The only thing of note has been Marquinhos returning from his Nantes lane.
There’s certainly scope for the Gunners to bolster their midfield ranks, and Dewsbury-Hall would certainly be a good shout for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Interestingly, Leicester boss Enzo Maresca omitted the reported Gunners and Seagulls target from his matchday squad on Saturday.
Maresca went on to tell the Leicester Mercury that “the reason why he was not in squad is because we gave him, Harry Winks and Jannik a rest for Tuesday’s game.”
So it may well just be a false alarm, but it’s not unusual for players to not be risked in games when there’s transfer activity going on behind the scenes.
In addition, Maresca didn’t refuse to rule out a move, saying: “It’s not a question for me. At the end, we need some balance. We’ll see.
“Anyway, I’m not saying anything because Kiernan is our player. In the moment that something happens, I will tell my thoughts about it.”
Arsenal will need to move quickly if they are to swoop in and snap up Dewsbury-Hall ahead of Brighton though, as talks are reportedly going on and there’s always the risk of a breakthrough.