Ambitious Arsenal are set to step up serious interest in Eduardo Camavinga over fears they could miss out on long-term target Houssem Aouar.
The world's best teams have been tracking 18-year-old Camavinga for some time now and Rennes value him at £86m despite the player only having one year remaining on his current deal.
Arsenal are hell-bent on making a transfer splash and it was expected that they would push hard to secure Lyon playmaker Aouar 12 months after being rebuffed by the Ligue 1 side.
But Le 10 Sport claim Atletico Madrid are in the driving seat to secure a player who has long been coveted by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta due to their Champions League participation.
Atleti are closing in on a deal for Udinese's Rodrigo De Paul but Diego Simeone is understood to also be a fan of Aouar.
That could force Arsenal to look at alternative targets with Camavinga viewed by many as the next great midfielder in world football.
Despite his tender age, the France international has already made 95 senior appearances and narrowly missed out on a place in Didier Deschamps' all-star Euro 2020 squad.
Arsenal's transfer kitty could be set for a boost with Granit Xhaka a target for Roma as Jose Mourinho pushes hard to conclude a deal for the Swiss enforcer.
