Arsenal are reportedly set to do battle with London rivals West Ham for the signature of Eintracht Frankfurt defender Martin Hinteregger.
The Austria international, who has won 43 caps for his country, signed permanently for Frankfurt over the summer after impressing in a loan move from Augsburg in the second half of last season.
He has since become a crucial part of the Frankfurt side, and is also a threat going forward, scoring in three of his side’s last four games in all competitions, including in the 5-1 thrashing of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Hinteregger was initially linked with the Hammers, who are looking to bolster their backline after conceding 14 goals in their last six games.
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But according to the Sun the Gunners have now joined the race for the player, with manager Unai Emery desperate to sign another centre-back in January.
Although Arsenal brought David Luiz to the club in the summer, they still look light in the position.
Although Sokratis is a more than capable partner at the back for Luiz, the error-prone Shkodran Mustafi and often-injured Rob Holding are the only natural backups, with French defender William Saliba not due to link up with the club until next season, when he has finished his season-long loan with Saint Etienne.
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Frankfurt will likely demand around £22m for the player, who played against the Gunners earlier this season in their 3-0 loss in the Europa League at the Commerzbank Arena.
Emery will also likely get another chance to cast his eye over the defender during the rematch at the Emirates Stadium on November 28.
Arsenal return to Premier League action looking for their first win in five games when they travel to Leicester on Saturday, while West Ham are also in desperate need of victory having not won since September, and they face an away game at Burnley .
