Arsenal are reportedly keen to complete a deal for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot as soon as possible.
The France international will soon enter the final six months of his contract with Massimiliano Allegri's men and is expected to depart as a free agent at the end of the season.
Should the Bianconeri decide against offering Rabiot an extension, the 27-year-old will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from next month onwards.
Rabiot was believed to have been on the verge of signing for Manchester United over the summer, but his mother and agent Veronique Rabiot apparently vetoed the move over his salary.
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is not expected to be short of offers after enjoying a strong World Cup campaign with France, scoring once and providing one assist en route to the final.
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Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona have all been credited with an interest in the Frenchman, but it is unclear if Man United are prepared to try again in January.
According to La Repubblica - via Sport Witness - Arsenal are now stepping up their interest in Rabiot and are aiming to wrap up the midfielder's signing "immediately".
As a result, Gunners chiefs could soon enter talks with their Turin counterparts, although Allegri is supposedly keen to retain Rabiot's services for the second half of the campaign.
However, the report adds that the Old Lady do not share their manager's stance, and a fee of €15m (£13.3m) could convince them to sell Rabiot before he leaves as a free agent.
Even if Arsenal can agree a price with Juventus, the Premier League leaders have also been quoted a €10m (£8.9m) yearly salary by Veronique Rabiot, which could put them off a move.
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Meanwhile, a separate report from Corriere dello Sport - via The Mirror - suggests that Liverpool have also joined the race for Rabiot as they aim to bolster their midfield options in January.
Rabiot coincidentally ran down his contract with PSG in 2019 before joining Juventus, where he has come up with 24 goals and 14 assists in 227 matches across all tournaments.
The Frenchman has enjoyed a positive start to the 2022-23 campaign with the Bianconeri, registering five goals and two assists in 16 matches and playing every minute of their recent six-game winning streak in Serie A.
Rabiot's accolades with Juventus include one Serie A title, one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italiana, and he was also part of France's 2020-21 UEFA Nations League-winning squad.
Arsenal are expected to be in the market for a new midfielder next month after failing to prise Youri Tielemans away from Leicester City in the summer, but a fresh face in the attack is believed to be more of a priority following Gabriel Jesus's knee injury.
Ben Knapton
