Arsenal have made contact with Roma about the possibility of signing Nicolo Zaniolo, according to reports in the Italian media.

The 23-year-old has just eighteen months remaining on his contract at the Giallorossi and the Serie A club will have to seriously consider offloading the player if he doesn’t sign an extension soon.

Zaniolo is demanding a relatively modest salary of €4.5m a year (approximately £75,500 a week) but, so far, Roma have not managed to find an agreement with his representatives.

The Italian, who has been capped eleven times by his country, is also attracting interest from other Premier League teams, with Tottenham and Manchester United keeping tabs on the midfielder’s situation.

Zaniolo generally plays as a withdrawn striker or in a number 10 role, but he can also be deployed out wide, so it is difficult to know where manager Mikel Arteta would be planning to select him in his starting lineup. With such a talented player being available relatively cheaply, though, it is not a surprise that the Gunners are interested.