Arsenal are one of the teams who have taken a look at Lille’s Boubakary Soumare, according to the Bleacher Report. The Frenchman is in high demand with the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City, Napoli, Real Madrid and Valencia all said to be keen on the 20-year-old.

The holding midfielder is reportedly valued at £50m, and such a fee would likely put him out of the Gunners’ price range at the moment. However, that may change if Granit Xhaka were to depart the Emirates.

The Swiss international has been heavily linked with a switch to Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin after his agent confirmed talks, but manager Mikel Arteta says he hopes that the player will stay this month:

“I think he will stay. He was very good. I really like him. The way we want to play, if we get him on board he can be a tremendous player for the football club.”

Soumare could, though, be a backup option if Arsenal need a new central midfielder. The France Under 21 international is a promising young talent and the interest being shown in him demonstrates many believe he has a big future in the game.