Arsenal's search for a new leader at centre-back to sort out their shoddy defence could be nearing its end.
Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked to the Gunners in a £55million move that would finally bring the Napoli defender to the Premier League.
The Senegal international has previously been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United but according to the Daily Star it is Mikel Arteta's side that now lead the race for his services.
He has been hailed as one of the best defenders in world football with a formidable physique and strong technical skills to not only stop attackers but also play the ball out from the back.
Under Maurizio Sarri he emerged as one of the leading players in his position in Europe with the Italian's expansive style of play reliant on Koulibaly to act as the rock at the back upon which they could build.
In the summer Arsenal signed David Luiz from Chelsea to add to a defensive roster that critics claim is still lacking in quality.
Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are the other options available to Arteta with Shkodran Mustafi expected to be moved on in 2020.
But what impact could Koulibaly have at Arsenal? To find out we booted up Football Manager 2020 and set up the Senegalese defender with a January transfer to the Gunners.
Here is how he got on.
Kalidou Koulibaly to Arsenal
At 28, Koulibaly is a player at the peak of his powers who can still offer a few more years at the top for Arsenal.
He combines excellent physical and mental stats with some key technical attributes for a centre-back too.
Signed for £55million in January, he was soon a key player for Arteta in the second half of the season, playing 18 games in the Premier League and making nine appearances in the Europa League.
No centre-back could come close to his average rating of 7.14 as he guided the Gunners back into the top four and the final of Europe's second tier club competition.
Arsenal's first season with Kalidou Koulibaly
Premier League: fourth
Europa League: winners
FA Cup: semi-finals
The big news to follow the arrival of Koulibaly at Arsenal is the return of Champions League football to the Emirates Stadium for 2020.
Following his move from Napoli in January the Senegal international became a key player for his new club, lining up alongside Sokratis in central defence.
Arteta's side finally had the steel in defence they had been lacking and lost only three league games between January and the end of the season.
That saw the Gunners charge up the table and back into contention for a Champions League spot.
With Leicester City falling away, and Manchester United's challenge proving hollow, Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur to the final qualification slot and fourth place.
In the Europa League, the defender teed up Dani Ceballos to score the only goal in the final against Ajax.
He was also key to Arsenal's semi-final victory over United to reach the final.
However, Liverpool had too much quality in the FA Cup. The Reds knocked out the Gunners in a domestic cup for the second time in a season after having defeated Unai Emery's side in the Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign.
Koulibaly has been compared to Virgil van Dijk, and given the transformation in defence that the Dutchman has led in Jurgen Klopp's side, the prospect of bringing in a centre-back capable of doing the same for Arsenal has already got fans excited.
According to Football Manager 2020, supporters would have every reason to be hopeful that the Napoli defender would be worth the effort to try and sign in January.
