Arsenal chase former Stoke City and Blackburn midfielder

Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Sevilla defensive midfielder Steven N’Zonzi, according to the Sun and other sources.

N’Zonzi, who played for Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers before moving to the La Liga, has fallen down the pecking order under manager Eduardo Berizzo after walking off during Sevilla’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool in November.

He has not featured since then and is reportedly training alone. The Gunners could face competition from Everton as current Toffees manager Sam Allardyce is keen to bolster his midfield with a player with Premier League experience. N’Zonzi spent a year under Allardyce at Edwood Park, between 2009 and 2010.

It remains unclear how N’Zonzi could fit into the Arsenal squad, but should the stories be true, it would mean that Arsene Wenger has had enough of either Francis Coquelin or Mohamed Elneny who seem to be bit-part players at present. But Wenger could find N’Zonzi’s passing skills and good positioning appealing to his current cause.

N’Zonzi has been capped for France two times and has a release clause of £35 million, but the price could drop significantly due to the conflict between player and club.

His contract with Sevilla stretches to 2020.

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