Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico has leapt up the list of contenders to succeed Arsenal veteran Petr Cech.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany stopper Bernd Leno, 26, was thought to be in pole position.
But reports in Spain say new Gunners boss Unai Emery wants Rico after managing him at Sevilla in 2014.
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La Liga star Rico, who has one cap for Spain, was already expected to exit his home country this summer.
And now Arsenal appear favourites to land the 6ft 5ins keeper, who is under contract until 2021.
Spanish outlet fichajes say Sevilla have already identified three possible replacements for Rico, all in La Liga.
Alaves’ Fernando Pacheco, 26, and Espanyol’s Roberto Jiminex, 32, who starred on loan for Malaga last season, are former Spain Under-21 men.
The third reported option is Girona’s Canada international Yassine Bounou, 27.
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Ex-Chelsea keeper Cech, 36, has been Arsenal’s first-choice stopper since arriving in 2015.
But previous boss Arsene Wenger was thought to be considering recruiting an eventual successor in the next transfer window.
And now that Frenchman Wenger has departed, Emery reportedly has the same opinion.
Meanwhile, ex-Paris Saint-Germain manager Emery is said to have put Barcelona playmaker Ousmane Dembele, West Brom centre-back Jonny Evans and Nice’s Ivory Coast midfielder Jean-Michael Seri at the front of his target-list for outfield players.
France attacker Dembele, 21, could be loaned out by Barca if his fellow countryman Antoine Griezmann makes his expected arrival from Atletico Madrid.
Baggies skipper Evans, 30, might be available for just £3m after relegation – making him a much cheaper option than Borussia Dortmund’s Greece star Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Freiburg’s Caglar Soyuncu.
Seri, 26, has been a Ligue 1 regular since joining from Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira three years ago.
The Gunners who could be on the way out include defenders Calum Chambers and Shkodran Mustafi, back-up keeper David Ospina and England forward Danny Welbeck.
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The game officially launches on June 1 – but you can pre-register for the game now.
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From Russia with a whole lot of love.
