Arsenal are set to join the chase for England defender Marc Guehi. Manchester City are currently leading the pack to sign the Crystal Palace captain, having made significant strides to secure the deal this month. However, Arsenal, along with Liverpool and Bayern Munich, have shown genuine interest in the 25-year-old who will be a free agent come summer.
It's unclear whether Arsenal will make a bid now or wait until Guehi's contract expires in the summer. The Gunners had shown interest in Guehi last summer but ultimately chose to sign Spanish prospect Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia and Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite this, Arsenal remain keen admirers of Guehi, and there will be no shortage of interest from Europe's top clubs if he decides to see out his contract at Palace and leave on a free transfer. It would take a substantial offer from City to convince Palace to sell this month, despite his contract nearing its end.
Liverpool had a £35m plus £5m in add-ons bid accepted last summer but failed to finalise the deal before the transfer deadline. Palace believe they can command a similar fee this January as City are eager to bolster their defence following injuries to key defenders Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones.
Palace will need to consider the potential value of retaining Guehi, as they are still competing in Europe, have the FA Cup on the horizon, and harbour ambitions of securing a European spot. This could lead them to demand around £40m, testing City's determination, while any club attempting to strike a deal now would be aware that Guehi could command a larger contract in the summer as a free agent.
City would face paying substantial wages and a hefty transfer fee, meaning that while they are in a favourable position, other clubs are keenly observing the prospects of a deal either now or in the future. Uncertainty still surrounds Pep Guardiola's long-term future, although Enzo Maresca, who has been suggested as a replacement, reportedly wanted Chelsea to push for Guehi's re-signing during his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool remain interested, while Bayern Munich's interest is notably strong, with manager Vincent Kompany being a big fan and Harry Kane eager to bring his England team-mate to Germany.
Arsenal may view Guehi as an obvious choice on a free transfer in the summer due to his versatility, despite already having a strong defence with William Saliba and Gabriel forming one of the Premier League's best defensive partnerships.
However, Arsenal demonstrated last summer, under the guidance of sporting director Andrea Berta, their ambition in the market and desire for robust competition across all departments.
Securing the signature of arguably England's top defender on a free transfer would be a tremendous coup, and one that Arsenal would undoubtedly be eager to seize.