Arsenal have made an approach to Napoli to sign right-back Kevin Malcuit before Thursday’s transfer deadline, claims France Football.
Unai Emery is desperate to bolster his squad with at least one new face but Arsenal can only afford loan signings this month.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with a number of players across Europe this month and Malcuit is the latest on the club’s radar.
Arsenal’s defence has been decimated by injuries this month with Sokratis, Laurent Koscielny and Hector Bellerin all picking up long-term problems.
Bellerin has been ruled out for the rest of the season leaving Arsenal short of options at right-back.
Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are the natural options to replace Bellerin but neither are considered first-choice options.
The Gunners are now exploring the possibility of prising Malcuit away from Napoli with the promise of regular playing time.
Napoli only signed Malcuit from Lille in the summer but the 27-year-old has struggled to nail down a first-team spot under Carlo Ancelotti.
Malcuit, who was linked with a move to Manchester United two years ago, has only started nine league matches this season.
Despite a lack of regular playing time, the French full-back has an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.29.
In fact, Malcuit is Napoli’s highest WhoScored rated player in Serie A (7.29).
