Arsenal plot winter raid for Napoli centre-back

Arsenal will reportedly lodge a winter attempt to sign Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic. The Serbia international joined the Naples outfit from Torino during the start of the previous campaign.

According to Football Italia, the north London giants could pursue the 25-year-old in January as they look to bolster their options at the heart of the defence.

Arsene Wenger's side parted ways with Gabriel in the summer, and this has left them short in the central defensive department with recent injuries to Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi.

As per the report, scouts from the north London club were in attendance to watch Maksimovic during Serbia's 1-0 win over Georgia in a World Cup qualifier.

Serie A giants Inter Milan are also reported to be interested in the centre-back, and there could be a potential bidding battle for his services in the New Year.

Maksimovic has been sparingly used during his time at Stadio Sao Paolo, starting just nine Serie A games since his £22.6m move from Torino last summer.