Arsenal in transfer race with Euro giants for Premier League midfielder who Pep Guardiola loves

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Arsenal are looking to add an attacking midfielder to Mikel Arteta’s ranks in the summer transfer window.

The Gunners allowed Fabio Vieira to leave for Porto on loan and Emile Smith Rowe to depart for Fulham permanently last summer, leaving a significant creative burden on Martin Odegaard.

Odegaard has struggled for form since returning from an ankle injury that kept him out for two months towards the back end of last year, prompting calls for the North Londoners to strengthen in this department.

Ethan Nwaneri is developing into more of a forward player, while Max Dowman is still a while off being ready for first team action, meaning the Norwegian playmaker has little to no cover or competition.

• READ MORE: Arsenal are ahead of European giants in transfer race for ‘unstoppable’ winger – Mikel Arteta is desperate to sign him

Arsenal interested in signing Leicester midfielder Bilal El Khannouss

According to Africa Foot, Arsenal are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.

The Foxes are likely to be relegated back to the Championship, and thus, will struggle to keep hold of some of their better players.

El Khannouss fits into this category, scoring three goals and providing three assists this campaign, an acceptable return for a midfielder in a dire team.

Arsenal will face competition for the Moroccan’s signature, with Liverpool, RB Leipzig and Lazio all said to be in the running to land the 20-year-old.

It’s understood that Leicester are resigned to losing the talented youngster if they do fail to secure their top-flight status for next season.

The East Midlanders signed El Khannouss for a fee in the region of £17.5 million last summer, so are likely to demand any suitors pay in excess of that.

Would Bilal El Khannouss be a good signing for Arsenal?

While showcasing glimpses of quality this season, it’s hard to evaluate or properly judge El Khannouss in a team as bleak as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester.

However, what he has shown probably doesn’t suggest he’s ready to slot into an Arsenal squad competing for major honours.

Max Dowman is good enough to burst onto the scene in a few years, while Nwaneri has shown enough to indicate that he’s an adept deputy for both Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.

Signing El Khannouss, another young midfielder who operates in similar areas to the Hale End duo, would potentially block both their developments.

Having said that, Pep Guardiola is reportedly fond of the Leicester man, complimenting him after Van Nistelrooy’s team met Manchester City in December (via Leicester Mercury).

A coach of such calibre praising a player is certainly a promising sign, but El Khannouss would ultimately be a strange and unnecessary signing for Arsenal.