Serie A giants AC Milan are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior.
The Polish centre-back completed a £21m transfer to the Gunners earlier this year after spending 18 months with Italian side Spezia.
Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium in January, Kiwior has found regular game time hard to come by, with Mikel Arteta preferring to use the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
In the second half of last season, he was restricted to eight competitive appearances, while he has featured in just six games in the opening few months of the 2023-24 campaign.
Although he has started Arsenal's last two competitive matches - including Wednesday's EFL Cup defeat to West Ham United - it remains to be seen whether he will be given a consistent run of games in the lineup.
Despite having a contract until June 2028, Kiwior's lack of regular playing time has caught the attention of AC Milan.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian club have identified the versatile defender as a potential January target.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli is keen to strengthen his backline, with his defensive options dwindling following a couple of injuries.
Pierre Kalulu has been ruled out for four months after he was forced to undergo surgery on a tendon injury that he sustained in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Napoli.
The Frenchman was subsequently replaced by 21-year-old centre-back Marco Pellegrino, but the substitute was unable to complete the game due to an injury issue.
After being assessed, it has been confirmed that Pellegrino injured his heel and is set to be out of action until December.
While Pellegrino could return before the end of the year, Kalulu's long-term injury has made signing a new central defender a priority for the Milan hierarchy.
The Rossoneri are unlikely to make a permanent bid for Kiwior, but they could look into the possibility of a loan deal with an option to buy.
However, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will consider parting ways, especially with Jurrien Timber currently sidelined with a long-term injury.
In addition to Kiwior, AC Milan have been linked with Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly, while PAOK centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis is believed to be an option. body check tags ::
