Arsenal are being linked with Empoli midfielder Riccardo Saponara.

Reliable Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio says the Gunners, as well as AS Monaco, are preparing to enter negotiations to sign the attacking midfielder this summer.

The 24-year-old enjoyed an impressive season with Empoli, scoring five times and assisting 11 goals in Serie A as the club comfortably finished in midtable. He could surely do even more in a better side, so it’s no wonder other clubs are interested.

Available for €15m, a deal may seem straightforward, but Saponara wants regular football and the chance to prove himself, as he recently told FootballItalia.

“Certainly I think before anything else you need the foundations to get an opportunity, because nobody is guaranteed regular football at a big club, you have to earn it.

“The important thing is that a player has opportunities,” said the Italian, who was once at AC Milan but left after openings for a first team spot didn’t appear.

With Mesut Özil the first choice number 10 and creative chief in north London, Saponara could be reluctant to move to the Emirates Stadium for limited playing time.