Arsenal had sent their scout to keep a close watch on French defender Kurt Zouma during Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City in the midweek Premier League clash.
The young centre-back earned his first league start of the campaign owing to an injury to Victor Moses which pushed Cesar Azplicueta to the right wing-back role.
However, his appearance lasted for only 45 minutes with manager Antonio Conte opting for a tactical change with midfielder Nemanja Matic coming into the mix.
According to a report from Goal.com, a Gunners representative monitored the progress of the Frenchman with the club’s hierarchy willing to reinforce their backline in the coming transfer window.
Zouma, who is on a £40,000 weekly wage package, has been restricted to playing time due to the brilliant form of trio Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill, and this could urge him to move elsewhere to better his international prospects.
The 22-year-old is currently nowhere near contention for Didier Deschamps’ France squad, and he will be hoping to earn a regular run next term in order to make the cut for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
The Gunners had previously courted interest in Zouma prior to him signing for their London rivals from Saint-Etienne in 2014, and there is every possibility that they could revive their pursuit when the transfer window reopens in July.
Arsene Wenger’s side are also keeping tabs on the progress of Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson given his ability to feature at either left-back or at the heart of the defence.
Arsenal will seek to maintain their push for a top-four finish to the Premier League campaign when they visit Selhurst Park to face a resurgent Crystal Palace on Monday night.
