According to Italian news outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal are among a number of clubs interested in Werder Bremen forward Max Kruse.

The German international, 29, netted 15 goals and created seven assists in the Bundesliga last season. His release clause of €12m (£10.5m) has unsurprisingly attracted a lot of interest from sides outside of Germany’s top tier.

West Ham and Everton are the other Premier League clubs reportedly interested in the possibility of signing him, while Serie A side AS Roma and Turkish champions Besiktas have also been quoted as potential suitors.

Keen to put his controversial exit from VfL Wolfsburg behind him, it’s clear to see that his goal-scoring exploits are finally giving him some good press coverage.

He was fined £20,000 by Wolfsburg after a poker incident, where he left £60,000 in the back of a taxi. There were a number of off-field incidents that were attached to Kruse, including an altercation with a journalist during his 28th birthday party and an unhealthy addiction to chocolate spread Nutella.

Consequently removed from Joachim Low’s Germany squad, his international boss stressed the importance of improved behaviour before he received another call-up.

He hasn’t been involved since and Low’s comments on what he expected from Kruse both “on and off the pitch” speak volumes for how seriously they’ve taken the reports of misbehaviour.

It’s unlikely that Arsenal would be prepared to take a chance on the experienced forward, who after all, is already 29-years-old and has a history of disciplinary issues.

He doesn’t have any prior knowledge or first-team minutes in the Premier League and would certainly be seen as a significant downgrade in quality from the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Kylian Mbappé, both of whom are high on Arsenal’s transfer targets.