Arsenal’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple this season came to an end on Sunday as they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
A second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly earned the Citizens an impressive victory at Wembley, with Pep Guardiola’s side in far more impressive form than the Gunners.
The two sides are also battling it out in the race for the Premier League title, with Mikel Arteta’s side currently boasting a nine-point lead at the top of the standings.
Now, with the international break taking centre stage, it has emerged that Arsenal are interested in a Ligue 1 midfielder.
According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners are continuing to monitor Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi as they ponder a summer move to sign the youngster.
The 18-year-old midfielder is enjoying a fine season in France, having made 36 appearances for Lille across all competitions so far this term.
Bouaddi has emerged as a target for Arsenal (Photo: DPPI Media/Alamy)
In total the France Under-21 international has made 90 career appearances for Lille to date, having progressed through the youth ranks at the French side.
His impressive displays have attracted significant interest from clubs in England, though, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea also said to be keen on the player.
Bouaddi is under contract at Lille until the end of the 2028/29 campaign, but the report suggests that the teenager is set to be at the centre of significant interest during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Arsenal had scouts in attendance at Lille’s 2-1 win over Marseille on Sunday, with the objective of watching Bouaddi in action, according to the report.
It is claimed, however, that Liverpool also had scouts in attendance at the match, while officials from both BlueCo and City Group – the owners of Chelsea and Man City respectively – were also there.