But with Arteta looking to bolster his midfield, and Atletico Madrid holder Thomas Partey another reported target, French football expert Julien Laurens insists the Gunners are in talks for Le Havre’s Pape Gueye.

The 21-year-old Frenchman would be a far cheaper option for the defensive midfield role than the likes of Partey, with his contract expiring in a little over 12 months.

And Laurens told ESPN FC: “I love him! Absolutely love him. He’s the revelation of Ligue 2, the French second division, at Le Havre.

“We know how good Le Havre have been as an academy, we just talked about Paul Pogba who is probably the best prospect that they had in the academy.

“Pape Gueye has been fantastic in midfield this season, he’s only 21 years of age so he’s very young, people will have to be patient with him.

“But what he’s shown so far in the second division, extraordinary qualities, he’s fantastic at pretty much everything.