Nicolas N’Koulou’s form this season has been pleasing to Arsenal and Sevilla, according to reports in Italy, amid rumours that Unai Emery has his sights set on a move for the player.

Wednesday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that N’Koulou has caught Arsenal’s eye as part of Torino’s best defensive performances of the last 14 years, this season. They write that the defender has a terrific reading of the game, and pace to track back and make recovery tackles.

The 28-year-old has appeared in every minute of his club’s Serie A campaign this season, and they have the fifth best defensive record in the league, ahead of the likes of AC Milan, Lazio, AS Roma and so on.

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it reported last week that Unai Emery has N’Koulou in his sights, as one of the ‘leaders’ on his shortlist of potential defensive reinforcements in January.

The former Ligue 1 defender, who previously played for Monaco, Marseille and Lyon, has seen his stock rise since leaving France for Italy. Calciomercato claim he’s now worth ‘much more’ than the €3.5m Torino paid to buy him. Exactly how much Arsenal would have to bid to secure his signature, we’ll have to wait and see.

Torino are reluctant to sell, understandably. They see N’Koulou as a key part of their team as they push for European qualification. The club are currently ninth in Serie A, but only five points behind fourth place. At the very least, the fight for a Europa League place is on the cards.

However, given his age, N’Koulou would probably jump at the opportunity to move to a top club before he leaves his peak years. Arsenal just need to make an offer that would make it worth Torino’s while to let him go.