Arsenal have already made formal contact with Reims over 22-year-old defender Axel Disasi, who has a €15m asking price.

Goal report that Arsenal watched Disasi closely this season, and recently made formal contact with Reims over the defender. At this point, they’re only registering their interest, but a bid should follow this summer.

There’s plenty of interest in the France u20 international from around Europe. However, Reims want €15m (£13m), and so far, no one is offering that much.

According to French outlet RMC, three clubs already made bids for Disasi. One from England (but not Arsenal), one from Germany and another from Spain. All three bids were above €10m but below the €15m asking price.

As well as the upfront €15m fee (excluding bonuses), Reims also want a sell-on clause. Given Disasi’s age, they clearly think it’s very possible he has another big move in him.

Reims already signed a replacement in January, bringing in Wout Faes before loaning him back to KV Oostende. They know Disasi only has a year on his contract, they just want to get some money in and move on.

RMC claim Arsenal are planning to ‘accelerate’ negotiations in the coming days.

Though we already heard rumours of this transfer, it’s interesting to see Goal and RMC confirm it. Charles Watts had a good record on transfers in January, and RMC seemed pretty reliable on the Nicolas Pepe and William Saliba deals last summer.