Following on from his confirmation that Arsenal are pursuing Willian, the Athletic‘s David Ornstein has also revealed that the Gunners are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings.

It is believed that head coach Mikel Arteta is keen on signing a left-footed centre-back and the London club have identified the England international as a possible candidate.

However, Ornstein does raise doubts over whether Arsenal could afford to sign Mings with Villa likely to command a big fee for the 27-year-old:

“I understand there is interest in Tyrone Mings from a couple of big Premier League clubs. Arsenal like him too, but whether that manifests itself in a bid, whether they could afford the sort of fee Villa are looking for is a completely different matter.”

Pablo Mari is also left-footed and it is believed that the Spaniard will be signed on a permanent basis very soon, but it seems Arteta is looking for another defender who can play a similar role.

Other left-sided centre-halves, like Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes, have also been linked with a move to the Emirates in recent months suggesting it is a key area that the club are looking to improve this summer.