PREMIER LEAGUE rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are ready to lock horns in a bid to sign Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo.
But they are likely to have some competition for the defender with Italian side Napoli also in the hunt.
Arsenal did sign Kieran Tierney from Celtic in the summer and have Sead Kolasinac who can play on the left side.
But Grimaldo continues to turn in top-drawer performances and would be an instant improvement.
Spurs have Danny Rose and Ben Davies at left-back.
Portuguese website A Bola is reporting that it will take a bid of around 34million to tempt Benfica into selling.
Barcelonaare due 15 per cent of any transfer fee after they sold Grimaldo in 2015 – with the Catalan giants also linked with launching a bid themselves
The Spain Under-21 left-back remains under contract at Benfica until 2021.
Grimaldo, who has notched four assists and one goal in the Primeira Liga this season, was once a target for Manchester City as an upgrade on Benjamin Mendy.
GUNNERS IN FOR ISCO TOO
However,Pep Guardiola revealed he plans to give the injury-hit Frenchman a chance to shrug off his fitness problemsthat have plagued his two seasons at the club.
And the Gunners could also go into battle with another Prem rival for some other talent.
Reports in Spain suggest the Gunners are looking at Real Madrid star Isco with the view to him coming in to succeed Mesut Ozil as the playmaker at the Emirates.
ArsenalmanagerUnai Emery is hardly hiding the facthe no longer sees the World Cup winner as a key part of his first team plans at the Emirates.
That is despite the 31-year-old making an impressive comeback in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool.
And that has been enough for Mundo Deportivo to say that Emery is keen to bring in a replacement forOzil in the shape of Real Madrid’s Isco.
They say the Gunners and City are prepared to do battle with Manchester City for the Spanish international playmaker who is once again seemingly out of favour at the Bernabeu.
Isco, 27, has struggled to convince in the playmaking role for Real since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club and currently finds himself out of Zinedine Zidane’s plans.
