Arsenal have reportedly taken a liking to RB Leipzig centre-back Mohamed Simakan.
The 23-year-old caught the eye of the German giants at Strasbourg, whom he represented for four years between 2017 and 2021 after also coming through the youth system at Marseille.
Simakan earned a €15m (£13.2m) move to the Red Bull Arena two years ago and quickly established himself as a regular for Die Roten Bullen, winning the DFB-Pokal in his debut campaign.
The former France Under-21 international has continued to go from strength to strength at both ends of the field this season, chipping in with three goals and eight assists from 34 appearances in all competitions, despite a few niggling injuries.
Simakan has impressively set up one goal in each of Leipzig's last four DFB-Pokal affairs, including in wins over Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg, as the holders prepare to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the final on June 3.
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While primarily operating as a centre-back, Simakan can also feature as a right-back or in a wing-back role for Leipzig, and he provided three assists from a wide role in the group stage of the Champions League.
The former Strasbourg man was briefly linked with a switch to Tottenham Hotspur last year, while he also revealed that Paris Saint-Germain had been in contact last summer over a possible move.
Now, The Guardian claims that Arsenal are also showing a "strong interest" in prising Simakan away from the Red Bull Arena as Mikel Arteta prepares his team for a return to the Champions League.
The Gunners have been left slightly thin on the ground in defence recently due to injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba, neither of whom are expected to play again this season.
With Ben White covering for Tomiyasu at right-back, Rob Holding was initially drafted in to cover for Saliba, but the Englishman faced criticism for his performances and has since lost his spot to Jakub Kiwior.
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Kiwior has earned plaudits for his performances in wins over Chelsea and Newcastle United, but Arteta is still believed to be after versatile defensive additions in the coming months.
The Gunners are confirmed to be finishing in the top two of the Premier League table and will be playing Champions League football for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign next year, having amassed 81 points from 35 games so far.
However, having led the way in the title race for most of the year, Arsenal have fallen one point behind champions Manchester City, who also boast a game in hand.
Leipzig are under little pressure to sell Simakan on the cheap, though, as the 23-year-old only signed a new contract with the German giants until 2027 back in December.
Simakan has recorded a total of four goals and nine assists for Leipzig, who are also expecting interest in his fellow centre-back Josko Gvardiol during the summer transfer window.
Ben Knapton
