Arsenal outcast William Saliba is being eyed by Gunners legend and Nice manager Patrick Vieira.
It comes as the Frenchman eyes a mid-season exit from the Emirates after being ostracised from the squad.
Fans were excited to see Saliba in action after he returned from a loan spell at Saint Etienne.
But, instead, he is yet to appear for the club - and did not even make the Europa League squad.
Another loan spell beckons as Mikel Arteta aims for the 19-year-old to be playing regular football - who cost the club £25m.
And Arsenal legend Vieira is prepared to give him a chance.
According to But! Football Club, the Arsenal legend is keen on signing the central defender for Nice until the end of the season.
Saint Etienne are also in the hunt for the teenager, where he joined at the age of 16.
A move was blocked in the transfer window after a late disagreement over wage structure.
But Vieira is desperate to bolster his backline after losing Dante for the rest of the season through injury as Nice sit 11th in Ligue 1.
However, Saliba's preferred destination is said to be Saint Etienne where he knows the club well.
The French outfit's captain Mathieu Debuchy, who also played for Arsenal, stated that Saliba is always welcome should he return.
"William… we know his qualities. He was very impressive at Saint-Etienne," said Debuchy.
"Unfortunately for him at Arsenal the start didn’t go the way he wanted it to, I think.
"If William wants to come back this winter he will be welcome and he will have the advantage of knowing the team."
Arteta has already spoken out on the defender, admitting that he is frustrated with his situation.
Arteta said: “I’m fed up with the situation because as you could see, we tried to find a way in the last few days [of the transfer window] to give him some football.
“I explained that he needed that transition year when we decided to buy him and send him on loan to Saint-Etienne. For many reasons, that didn't happen and he didn't have that transition year.
“He needs to go through that and at the moment, with the amount of central defenders that we have in the team, we had to let him out of the squad which is painful."
