Arsenal were once again keeping a close watch on highly-rated Benfica attacker Andrija Zivkovic ahead of a potential move for his signature during the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old has been on the Gunners radar a couple of seasons ago, but during that period, Arsene Wenger saw his side lose out to the Portuguese champions, who bought the youngster from Partizan Belgrade.
Despite this, the north Londoners have maintained a key focus on the Serbia international, and according to O Jogo, via The Mirror, the club were monitoring his progress during Saturday’s 2-0 over Feirense.
Aside from the Gunners, scouts from Manchester United and Montpellier were also at the Estadio Marcolino de Castro to track Zivkovic, who has transformed under the guidance of Rui Vitoria at Benfica.
Zivkovic initially started his career in the wider positions, but during the current campaign, he has been used in more of a central attacking midfield role with his hold-up play and defensive contribution catching the eye of the head coach.
Arsenal are no doubt in need of reinforcements at the heart of the midfield, where Granit Xhaka has come short with his performances for much of the season, but Zivkovic may more or less be seen as a long-term prospect.
Should Arsene Wenger stay on beyond the summer, a player of Steven N’Zonzi could be a better pick, given his experience of previously playing in the top-flight whilst recently dominating the proceedings against United’s midfield in the Champions League.
Aside from a midfield enforcer, the club are also reported to be eyeing a new central defender and goalkeeper ahead of the 2018/19 season, which may deliver better promise than the current campaign, which is likely to end with the Gunners finishing outside of the top-four.
