By OkayGoal 
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are closely monitoring Inter Milan star Andy Diouf amid his impressive progress for club and country this year.
The Frenchman signed for the Nerazzurri from Lens in August last year and made 29 appearances in all competitions last season. He has already managed five in the current campaign, and recently made his senior debut for the national side.
His stock is steadily rising and Caught Offside claim that Arsenal and Chelsea are keeping a close eye on the versatile star. He has emerged as an increasingly ‘interesting option’ for the London giants, having impressed as a wing-back and midfielder for Inter.
The Nerazzurri are in a strong position to keep him with a contract until June 2030 and Caught Offside cite that it would take a package between £43 million and £51 million to persuade the Serie A champions into entering negotiations.
Unlikely deal
Diouf was primarily a midfielder during his time at Lens but has become a right wing-back at Inter. He played second fiddle to Denzel Dumfries in his debut season, but has made the position his own with the Dutchman’s move to Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old has already registered three assists in all competitions for the San Siro giants. He was recently rewarded with his first two caps for France by manager Zinedine Zidane. He fared decently as a makeshift left-back against Belgium (home and away).
Despite this, we don’t see the Gunners pursuing his signature. Arsenal are well covered in the central midfield department with Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bruno Guimaraes, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi. Merino and Zubimendi have barely played this term.
There is a possibility that Zubimendi could depart but this may not see them spend big on another midfield recruit. Similarly, Arsenal don’t operate with wing-backs and prefer a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation under manager Mikel Arteta with full-backs.
Diouf has not played as a right-back in his career and would be a risky acquisition to replace Ben White, who has been linked with an exit for some time. Hence, we don’t see the Gunners exploring a deal, and the speculation could be agent-driven instead.
