Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is "ready to hijack" Arsenal's attempts to sign Ben White from Brighton this summer.
That's according to the Mirror, who say that the Gunners target is now wanted by the Paris-based outfit as they look to add to their central defensive options.
Arsenal have already had a £40million offer for White turned down by the Seagulls, but now Pochettino and PSG are reportedly ready to step in to try and lure the England centre-back to the French capital.
Brighton will reportedly listen to offers in excess of £50m for the 23-year-old defender, which is around £10m more than what the Gunners put on the table recently.
Pochettino is believed to have kept "close tabs on White", when the Seagulls star spent a season-long loan spell at Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa - where his impressive performances caught the eye of many in the Championship.
However, despite this reported new interest from PSG, football.london understands Arsenal will return with a fresh offer for White after seeing their initial bid rebuffed.
With David Luiz leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month, the Gunners are looking to add another central defender to their ranks as they look to massively improve on their dismal 2020/21 campaign.
White has a similar skillset to Luiz, with both centre-backs extremely comfortable in possession, which may be part of the attraction for Mikel Arteta and Edu.
Arteta admitted last month about his "sadness" in seeing Luiz depart the north London club after two seasons.
"We had very clear talks in the last few months," the Arsenal boss said.
"We already had a big decision to make last year when we had to extend his contract during the Covid world, the pay cuts and everything.
"We managed to extend that for one more season. He’s given his best: I tried to help him as much as I possibly could and the club did as well.
"After some conversations, we decided it’s the best way to do it now.
"I’ve really enjoyed learning from him. He’s been very helpful every time with the team and I feel sadness as well because you get attached to the players emotionally.
"First it’s the player that we have to get the maximum out of, then it’s the person. When it gets to these stages, it’s tough and it hurts because that relationship is now going to be going away, at least in not seeing him every day."
