Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson.
The 23-year-old has struggled for regular first-team football under Mikel Arteta this season, making just three starts and five substitute appearances for the Gunners across all competitions.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and January addition Leandro Trossard have all been preferred by Arteta in wide areas, while Gabriel Jesus – when fit – and Eddie Nketiah have featured regularly as the central striker.
Nevertheless, Nelson has made his mark when called upon in the Premier League, contributing with three goals and two assists in just three substitute appearances, including a dramatic 97th-minute winner against Bournemouth last weekend.
Nelson also scored twice and provided an assist in Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in October, while he registered an assist in the 3-1 EFL Cup third-round defeat against Brighton in November.
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The winger, who spent last season on loan with Dutch outfit Feyenoord, is now facing an uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium as his contract is due to expire in June.
A recent report claims that Arsenal and Nelson are not close to agreeing fresh terms over a contract extension, and although talks remain ongoing, a resolution is unlikely to be reached in the short term.
A potential exit for Nelson from the Gunners, where he has spent the last 16 years since joining the club's academy at the age of nine, could therefore be on the cards, with a number of clubs in England and abroad said to be monitoring his situation.
According to CBS Sports, Brighton are set to rival Ligue 1 outfit Nice for the signature of Nelson if he becomes a free agent in the summer.
Arteta heaped praise on Nelson following his match-winner against Bournemouth and claims that he has been "knocking on the door" for a first-team place.
"I always saw the potential, the talent and the desire for him to do it, but he's at a different level right now," Arteta told reporters on Saturday.
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"I think emotionally, the experiences that he had helped him. Football-wise, it was my decision in the last two games not to play him because we had other options.
"But he was knocking on the door, he's been training really good and it's a good lesson for me and for the coaches that we need him and that he can be really important for the team."
Brighton, who are flying high in eighth place in the Premier League and are competing for a European spot, have relied heavily on the form of star wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March this season, who have excelled under the tutelage of Roberto De Zerbi.
Nice, meanwhile, currently have Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pepe on their books, who has scored eight goals in 23 games for the French side, while Sofiane Diop, Gaetan Laborde and Ross Barkley have also been battling for starts on the flanks.
Both Brighton and Nice could face competition from Brentford, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton and West Ham United, who have also been linked with a move for Nelson at the end of the season.
Oliver Thomas
