Arsenal are on course to win their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years this season with the Gunners remaining ahead of Manchester City heading into the final month of the campaign.
Mikel Arteta's men will return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017, meaning sporting director Edu Gaspar will be kept busy in bolstering the north Londoners' squad.
One area that has probably gone under the radar the most is in defence. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed one of the league's best partnerships with Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior on standby as their deputies.
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However, the Gunners have been linked with Dinamo Zagreb centre-back Josip Sutalo. According to 24 Sata, the Croatia international is close to a 'big transfer' to north London after impressing with Zagreb.
football.london understands that a new midfielder is the priority for the summer, with Declan Rice the ideal target. There have also been links with Wilfried Zaha and Mason Mount in recent weeks.
Following reports that Arsenal were lining-up a move for Sutalo, football.london takes a closer look at the Croatian.
Who is Josip Šutalo?
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2000, Sutalo joined Zagreb in 2014 as a teenager and has progressed through the Blues' academy. After appearing 15 times for Zagreb's II side, the defender spent part of 2021 on loan at Istra 1961 before returning to Zagreb.
He made his senior debut in October 2019 at just 19 years old and has gone on to make 74 appearances for the club. Sutalo is now a regular in Igor Biscan's side, making 74 appearances in all.
The centre-back is also a regular figure in the Croatia national team after advancing through the youth teams since under-15 level. He kept two clean sheets - against Denmark and France - in his first three games for the senior team before being named in Zlatko Dalic's World Cup squad in Qatar.
This season, Sutalo made his first appearance in the Champions League and played the full 90 minutes in Thomas Tuchel's final game in charge of Chelsea.
What's the latest?
According to the report in Croatia, Zagreb will demand €20million (£17.6m) for Sutalo in the summer. Whilst there has been no official move from Arsenal, it's said that the club have already contacted Zagreb and negotiations will begin over a move.
Sutalo is reportedly 'intrigued' by the chance to play at the Emirates Stadium with 24 Sata claiming a move to the Premier League is the defender's dream.
Arsenal's interest comes a few months after Tutto Mercato Web reported that Tottenham were keen to sign Sutalo, with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig previously keen on him as Josko Gvardiol's replacement.
As mentioned before, the Gunners are not desperate for a new defender. However, at 22, Sutalo is an option for the future and a deal we could see materialise in the future.
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