Arsenal are considering a move for 28-year-old Torino defender Nicolas N’Koulou, according to reports in Italy.

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it report 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.

However, Torino are reluctant to sell anyway. They reportedly 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.

N’Koulou has made 20 appearances for Torino already this season, starting all of their league games as well as one of their cup games. Only Juventus, Napoli, Inter Milan and Fiorentina have conceded fewer league goals this season than Torino, so the defender is clearly doing something right.

Arsenal do need defensive reinforcements, but we’ll have to wait for more reliable sources to corroborate the story to see if Emery is really interested in N’Koulou.