Premier League leaders Arsenal will hope to take a step closer to clinching the title when they host London rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
The Gunners currently sit five points clear at the summit, however second-placed Manchester City boast a game-in-hand a could cut that advantage to just two points.
After consecutive draws against teams from the bottom half of the table, Mikel Arteta’s side returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion last time out as they defeated fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in the north London derby.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash at The Emirates, it appears that Chelsea and Arsenal are set to battle it out off the pitch this summer in the race to land a talented defender.
As per CaughtOffside, both Arsenal and Chelsea are showing interest in Atalanta centre-back Honest Ahanor.
The report claims that the two London sides and Manchester City have all sent scouts to watch the central defender in action in recent weeks.
Ahanor has attracted interest from some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs (Photo: Giuseppe Maffia/Alamy)
Ahanor, 18, joined Atalanta from fellow Italian side Genoa last summer and is enjoying a fine debut season in Bergamo.
The Nigerian defender has made 25 appearances for Atalanta across all competitions so far this term, featuring in 16 of their 26 Serie A matches.
It is claimed that both Chelsea and Arsenal are weighing up offers in the region of £30 million for the centre-back, with Chelsea considering structuring a possible deal to include a loan move before attempting to integrate the player into the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Atalanta, however, are said to regard the player as untouchable and are very reluctant to allow him to leave the club this summer, instead intending to keep hold of him for at least next season.