The Gunners appear to be keen on making a move for the signing of a new defender to shore up Unai Emery’s defensive unit ahead of next season.

The Arsenal boss made several signings last summer in a bid to improve the team’s leaky defence after arriving as the man who was to replace the departed Arsene Wenger.

However, after his first campaign at the Emirates stadium, it has been very clear that the Gunners’ backline still needs a lot of improvement with Shkodran Mustafi in particular, being one of the main disappointments of the season.

Thus, according to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Arsenal are preparing a move to trigger the £32m release clause of Kostas Manolas’s contract to sign him from AS Roma.

Arsenal can bypass negations with Roma by triggering the release clause for the defender and the report suggests that his price is an amount Unai Emery’s side are willing to match.

The 27-year-old has been chased by the Gunners in the past and he was linked with a move to the Emirates stadium for several years during Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Manolas was one of the players who scored in Roma’s comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League last season.

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