Arsenal eyeing £8m defender after Newcastle fail to seal deal

Arsenal have reportedly joined the race for Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico - who was interesting Newcastle in the summer. Calciomercato are reporting that the Gunners are keen on a move for the Argentinian left-back, who jetted off to the World Cup in the summer.

Tagliafico, 26, only joined Ajax in January but has quickly impressed following a string of fine performances - and such displays have naturally attracted interest from elsewhere. Rafa Benitez was keen on the full-back in the summer but was unable to afford his £8million price tag.

The Spaniard was keen to land a left-back to offer competition and cover for Paul Dummett, but was unsuccessful in his pursuits of Tagliafico and Stanley N'Soki - having also been linked with several other players. And now, these latest reports suggest that Arsenal could swoop in and seal a deal after Newcastle's failure to do so.

With Nacho Monreal's contract set to expire in the summer - and injuries thwarting the progress of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac - Unai Emery is thought to be in the market for reinforcements. And Tagliafico could fit the bill, although his reported £8m price tag could have risen since the summer.