Recent injury concerns to Arsenal defenders Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have led some to openly speculate that the Gunners may wade into the transfer market to shore up the central defence. In particular, Arsène Wenger is reported to have his eye on Roma defender Kostas Manolas. The Express report that the Arsenal boss may be willing to spend heavily in order to acquire the 24-year-old Greek international.
Reports also indicate, however, that the team may face heavy competition in luring the burgeoning Roma stalwart away from the Italian capital, as north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the player. Mauricio Pochettino is said to want Manolas to slip immediately into his starting XI, which may be a more attractive option than a possible four-man rotation which he would likely encounter at the Emirates, with Mertesacker and Koscielny backed up well at the moment by Gabriel.
In either case, it seems as though it will be extremely difficult to pry the defender away from Roma, as he is well-entrenched in his position, having started all 11 Serie A matches for the Giallorossi. Roma also find themselves in the middle of a tight race for the Scudetto, sitting third and one point off the lead. With Manolas under contract until 2019, Roma find themselves with little motive to sell.
