Zinedine Zidane has set his sights on Arsenal target Dominik Szoboszlai as he seeks to add some fresh faces into his struggling Real Madrid side.
The Gunners have been linked with the Red Bull Salzburg star for some weeks now.
His impressive performances have caught the eye of a number of Europe's top clubs and his £18m price tag is seen as a bargain.
Szoboszlai has spoken internally with his club and expressed a desire to move on.
Arsenal are in the market for a creative midfielder and would certainly have the budget to afford the Hungarian.
But Zidane has been on the phone this week in an effort to seal the deal, reports Bild.
The Madrid boss has looked to persuade Szoboszlai that a switch to the Bernabeu is the next step he needs to take in his career.
Fending off interest from Los Blancos may prove too challenging for Arsenal should they want to pursue the move.
Salzburg's sporting director Christoph Freund conceded last month that he expected Szoboszlai to join a "big club".
"Of course you would like to have the player in the club as long as possible," he told Sky Sport Austria.
"On the other hand, it is also healthy if he takes the next step at the right time.
"Let’s see what happens in winter, but there is a high probability that he will move to a big club.
"That is definitely a next step in development so that he can tap this potential and this performance with every game."
Los Blancos have endured a poor start to the defence of their crown in La Liga.
They have lost three of their ten games and are already seven points off top spot.
