Kostas Manolas has reportedly agreed a new deal with Roma, which includes a £32.75m release clause.

Arsenal and Chelsea have allegedly received a boost in their pursuit of Manolas.

The Gunners were supposedly close to signing the 26-year-old last year and although we went for Shkodran Mustafi instead, we’re said to be keen to make a move for Manolas again.

While the defender has just penned a new bumper deal with Roma, putting him from £2.5m-per-year to £3.1m, they’ve reportedly included a rather reasonable release clause of £32.75m in his contract.

According to Roma’s sporting director, this is only eligible for clubs outside of Italy, which means that Juventus, who have also been linked, will have to pay more if they’re going to sign him. Obviously, Roma don’t want to strengthen their rivals for such a low price.

Manolas signed for Roma from Olympiacos in 2014 and has since gone on to make 143 appearances over all competitions. He’s a key place for the Serie A side and even turned down a big money move to Zenit St Petersburg in the summer, which is why he’s been rewarded for his loyalty with a shiny, new contract.

Arsenal do need another centre-back with Per Mertesacker stepping down to become head of the academy at the end of the season. Also, with Laurent Koscielny’s Achilles causing him more and more problems as he gets older, signing Manolas might not be a bad idea.