Linked with a number of left-backs to understudy 30-year-old starter Nacho Monreal, it looks like Arsenal are becoming increasingly open to the idea of offloading Kieran Gibbs.

With only three Premier League starts to his name this season and a number of substitute appearances as a makeshift left-midfielder, Gibbs has now found himself drop to fifth in Roy Hodgson’s England pecking order at left-back.

Ryan Bertrand and Danny Rose are in the current squad while Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw are only out due to their respective fitness troubles.

Nonetheless, Gibbs hasn’t made the squad and Arsenal have been linked with another young left-back – so how much longer will he stick around? The Gunners have reportedly been chasing Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell for a year now and were linked with a move for young Fulham and England man Ryan Sessegnon in January only to have a bid rejected.

The latest player to be linked with Arsenal is Raphael Guerreiro, a 22-year-old Portuguese defender who can also play left midfield and has become a regular for FC Lorient.

513345504 lorients french defender raphael guerreiro gettyimages
Raphael Guerreiro is reportedly being watched closely by Arsenal. (LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images)

Arsenal have dealt with Lorient in the past, signing Laurent Koscielny from the French outfit in 2010 and sending current first-team members Francis Coquelin and Joel Campbell on loan to the club.

With Gibbs already out of favour in north London and with England boss Roy Hodgson, the arrival of a new left-back looks increasingly likely and it would be something that surely pushed Gibbs out of the club.