While the guessing game of which midfielder Arsenal will sign goes on in the background, there's been just as much intrigue to see what defender the club will now go for following an unsuccessful attempt to bring in Lisandro Martinez.
Yesterday, The Athletic reported that Arsenal have moved on to Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko and are in talks to sign him, with it believed that the current Premier League champions are open to selling if their valuation is met.
Mikel Arteta was said to be an admirer of Martinez's technical ability and versatility which can see him operate as a centre-back, left-back and defensive midfielder, but Zinchenko possesses just as much quality and has the added bonus of Premier League experience.
READ MORE: Arsenal in talks with Manchester City over Oleksandr Zinchenko amid failed Lisandro Martinez bid
If we're being picky, however, one slight negative is his inability to fill in at centre-back. It begs the question, will Arsenal go for someone else in addition to the Ukrainian? Well, Chelsea's latest transfer decision suggests they could.
That's because transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said that the highly-rated Levi Colwill is likely to leave the Blues on a permanent deal this summer as Thomas Tuchel looks to sign three new centre-backs. Arsenal were first credited with interest in Colwill in May and are now keeping a close eye on his situation, according to various reports.
The Evening Standard added that the Gunners are among four Premier League clubs monitoring developments, although Crystal Palace are viewed as the current favourites to secure the 19-year-old's signature.
As well as liking players who offer versatility, Arteta ideally prefers to have centre-halves that are both left-footed and right-footed in order to make playing out from the back as smooth as possible. Gabriel Magalhaes and Pablo Mari are the current options to play at left centre-back, although the latter is likely to leave in the coming weeks.
This would confirm why Colwill is being targeted, with the England U21 international able to play on the left-hand side across the defence, including left-back. Whether or not Chelsea would be willing to sell a bright prospect to a direct rival remains to be seen, but their fans are very disappointed at the news and that can only be a good sign if Arsenal were to get their man.
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