Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for Napoli centre-back Nikola Maksimovic, according to reports in Italy.

According to Guerin Sportivo via the Mirror, the Gunners have been watching the Serbian defender, as they look for reinforcements to a dwindling backline.

Laurent Koscielny, Calum Chambers, Per Mertesacker and now Sead Kolašinac and Shkodran Mustafi have all had problems with injury in the short time since the season got underway.

That leaves only Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal as defenders who have been reliably fit, not the best situation for a club utilising a three-back formation.

Whether Maksimovic could provide a healthy option for the season is unclear because the 25-year-old hasn’t managed to put together a run of games either, for different reasons.

Unlike those previously mentioned Arsenal defenders, Nikola hasn’t had any injury problems since 2015/16, but he’s still only played nine games since the start of 2016/17.

The player is struggling to find a way into contention for a starting spot with the Italian club, despite playing the majority of games for his country this year.

Perhaps Arsenal may look at him as a cheap option, as Napoli would struggle to make the case that he’s a key player in their squad given the lack of appearances.

Whether Nikola can prove himself as having the right level of quality is another matter, and I assume that’s why they’re scouting him, if the rumours are true.