Arsenal interested in January swoop for Roma midfielder

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to reinforce his midfield with the acquisition of Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes, according to The Sun.

Paredes, 22, still has three years remaining on his existing deal with Roma but his eye-catching performances in Serie A have alerted the attention of Wenger, who has reportedly already made contact with the midfielder’s representatives.

The Argentine ace spent last season on loan with Empoli but has now established himself as a first-team regular at Roma under Luciano Spalletti this season, although he could cause the club problems should he continue to churn out impressive displays.

Wenger is already incredibly well stocked in central midfield, with Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin battling for two places at the base of their midfield.

However, the Frenchman may deem the purchase of Paredes necessary to bolster their title charge, particularly with Jack Wilshere out on loan at Bournemouth and Elneny set to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations at the turn of the year.

Since the start of last season only three players have created more chances from set pieces in Serie A than Paredes (35).

For more stats on Leandro Paredes, click here to visit his WhoScored player page