Inter Milan are showing an interest in Arsenal right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, according to a report.
The Japan international immediately hit the ground running in North London upon his arrival from Bologna in 2021, having snubbed a move to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the last minute.
Despite his ability to play as a centre-back and left-back, Tomiyasu quickly became Mikel Arteta's first-choice right-back, but injuries soon began to bedevil him.
The 24-year-old fell behind Ben White in the right-back pecking order during the 2021-22 season - which was another injury-disrupted campaign for the defender - and he is now facing competition from summer arrival Jurrien Timber.
Nevertheless, Tomiyasu has featured for Arsenal in pre-season since recovering from his season-ending knee injury, and he started Wednesday's Emirates Cup triumph over Monaco, swapping flanks with Timber during the contest.
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Tomiyasu took advantage of Oleksandr Zinchenko's absence to make the first XI in midweek, but he is arguably now Arsenal's third-choice right-back behind Timber and White, while Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba remain Arteta's first-choice central pairing.
The former Bologna man is only contracted to the Gunners for another two years, and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, he has attracted glances from Inter Milan.
The Nerazzurri are believed to have identified Tomiyasu as a potential replacement for Milan Skriniar, who ran down his contract and joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah has also been heavily linked with a switch to San Siro, but the Blues' £45m asking price could prove too steep for Inter, who are hopeful of striking a deal for Tomiyasu for a lower fee.
However, the report adds that Arsenal would only consider letting the Japanese defender leave on a permanent deal rather than a loan, and it may take a sizeable fee to prise him away from the Emirates.
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Arsenal forked out €18.6m (£16m) to bring Tomiyasu to North London two years ago, and the 24-year-old has since set up three goals in 53 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Tomiyasu registered two assists in 32 matches last term, but he started just six games in the Premier League before picking up a severe knee injury in a Europa League clash against Sporting Lisbon.
The bulk of Arsenal's summer outgoings have been defence-based so far, and Auston Trusty became the latest man to leave the Gunners on Thursday, joining Sheffield United for a reported £5m.
Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have also moved on to pastures new alongside midfielder Granit Xhaka, and Arteta is expected to sanction several other outgoings in the coming weeks.
Rob Holding is another centre-back who seemingly does not have a future in North London, while Arsenal may also try to rid themselves of Nuno Tavares and Cedric Soares this summer.
Ben Knapton
