Hector Moreno has set his sights on a move to Arsenal in the summer, with the Mexico international reportedly being lined up by Arsene Wenger in view to a summer move.
While Arsenal signed a centre-back in Gabriel from Villarreal in the January transfer window, more cover is always welcome, and Moreno has reportedly caught the eye of Wenger.
Before Arsenal completed a move for Gabriel, Moreno, who currently plies his trade with Espanyol in La Liga, was linked heavily with a transfer to the Emirates, and now it looks like the transfer might come to fruition.
Moreno, according to the Metro, who cite reports in Spain, prefers a move to Arsenal over fellow North London club Tottenham, and has apparently made his preference clear.
The 27-year-old will come with a price tag of around £15 million, and it remains to be seen if Wenger will deem it necessary to spend that kind of money on another central defender.
Arsenal already have Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel in their lineup, with Calum Chambers also tipped to play in the centre of defence, which gives Wenger four really good options.
Having said that, however, Wenger will also be mindful of the kind of crisis Arsenal found themselves in earlier this season, and the manager may think bringing in another centre-back might not be that bad an idea.
But, Moreno's age might work against him, with Mertesacker hitting 30 and Koscielny not too far behind. While Gabriel is 24, and Chambers only 20, Wenger might consider making a move for a Tyrone Mings over Moreno to ensure he has that centre-back position covered for the long-term.
Meanwhile, Wenger has defended criticism that has come his way after selecting right-back Mathieu Debuchy ahead of Hector Bellerin for the FA Cup semifinal against Reading. Debuchy, playing his first game in three months, looked expectedly rusty, with many wondering why Wenger chose to bed in the Frenchman in such a big knockout game.
"It was a bit risky," Wenger told the club's official website. "Bellerin has played recently with some ankle problems and Debuchy was back so I thought it was a good moment to do it.
"Debuchy had cramps just before the end of the game but I couldn't change him, but he is a French international and must be capable of playing in a semifinal against Reading.
"You wait, you wait, at some stage you have to play a game. Kieran Gibbs has not played for a while but he didn't suffer physically too much.
"Ideally you want everybody to be happy. It is part of the job and the most important thing is to get results, for the fans and everybody involved with the club. The majority dominates the minority."
