Arsenal are investigating a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in anticipation of a considerable overhaul this summer.
The PSG star’s camp are understood to be open to the idea, although the Qatari-owned club would naturally be hardline over a player they see as a jewel of their current project.
It is widely known that Arsenal do want to sell in the summer, and would consider the exit of a senior player, which would then give them more headroom to cope with the Premier League’s shift in financial regulations to Squad Cost Ratio.
That does not necessarily mean any business stops there, though, and it could yet be possible that there are a few outgoings and incomings to facilitate a slight reshuffle of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Special attention could be paid to the attack, with Kvaratskhelia, who scored three times against Chelsea in the Champions League last 16, seen as a star who could offer more individual creativity, while potentially elevating the level of the squad overall.
Any prospective deal is viewed as extremely complicated, though, something that was also the case with the 25-year-old’s previous move from Napoli to PSG last year.
For Kvaratskhelia’s part, too, he gave an interview only last month where he spoke about his joy at being at the European champions and underlined his will to be one of their greatest ever players.
That isn’t necessarily seen as a deterrent, though, and his camp is willing to at least consider alternative options.
Sources within PSG insist he would be seen as a near-unsellable star.
Arteta is also known to greatly admire Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, but there is currently no prospect of Arsenal paying a fee of at least €100m (£86.5m) that the Spanish club would want.
