Arsenal closely monitoring PSG star who could challenge Gabriel for his place – report

Arsenal are scouting a left-footed Paris Saint-Germain defender, and a transfer could see him rival Gabriel for his spot in the Gunners’ side.

The Premier League champions are missing William Saliba for a while, and rectified that with the signing of Ezri Konsa. The England international made his first start against Chelsea on Sunday, and impressed alongside Gabriel.

Mikel Arteta has made a habit of adding strong defenders to his Arsenal side of late.

Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera have also both joined the club in the last year.

But the Gunners aren’t stopping in their quest to improve their side, as Caught Offside reports that they are monitoring PSG’s Willian Pacho, having watched him play in the 2-2 draw against Lille recently and compiled a detailed scouting report on him.

Arsenal are said to see the Ecuadorian centre-back as another high-level left-footed defensive option.

Of their centre-back corps presently, Gabriel and Hincapie are the two left-footers, meaning Pacho could rival them for a spot in the side.

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Willian Pacho a PSG regular

But there are reasons which could make it tough for Arsenal to sign Pacho. He is also on the radar of rivals Manchester City, which offers the defender another potential route.

But currently, he plays for the back-to-back European champions, and has played the full 90 minutes in every game this season, suggesting he’s starting to become an integral part of PSG’s plans.

Pacho has also recently signed a new contract with the French giants, penning terms until 2031.

As a result, even if the club were willing to get rid, it would surely take a large price for them to agree to his exit.

Whether either of the interested English clubs manages to prise him away from PSG remains to be seen.