Arsenal are among the teams leading the charge to sign Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries this summer...

What's the latest on Arsenal's interest in Denzel Dumfries?

That's according to Italian outlet Tuttosport (via L'Interista), who claim that the Gunners and Manchester United are ahead of Premier League rivals Chelsea in the race to sign the Dutch international.

It's thought that the Nerazzurri hierarchy is demanding a fee in the region of €60m (£53m), having already identified a replacement in the form of Tajon Buchanan of Club Brugge.

Inter are in no rush to sell, however, given the 26-year-old is tied to his £52k-per-week contract until the summer of 2025.

Is Dumfries better than Takehiro Tomiyasu?

Dumfries has excelled for the Serie A outfit over the past 18 months, as well as for the Netherlands at the recent World Cup and could be a significant attacking upgrade on the right flank for Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard currently has Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu available in the role but both are more defensively-minded options, with the latter's form coming into question in recent weeks.

It was his early error against Manchester City that led to Kevin De Bruyne's opening goal in their 3-1 defeat to the defending champions. After winning the ball back, Tomiyasu miscalculated a woeful backpass to Aaron Ramsdale. It was latched onto by the Belgian, who calmly lobbed the Gunners' out-of-position goalkeeper.

Of all the players to have started two or more matches, the Japan international is also the second-worst performer in the current squad and in terms of attacking output, he's managed fewer key passes, dribbles and shots per game than the aforementioned White, via WhoScored.

However, neither can rival Dumfries' contribution as - when compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions - he ranks inside the top 1% for non-penalty expected goals, total shots and touches in the opposition box per 90, as well as in the top 5% for progressive passes received, meaning he's getting very high up the pitch, per FBref.

He has also provided six goal contributions across 25 appearances in the Serie A and Champions League, which is more than both Tomiyasu and White combined (four).

Once hailed as a "difference-maker" at Inter by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, it's evident that sporting director Edu Gaspar could secure the Gunners - and Arteta - a considerable upgrade in a crucial role by signing Dumfries in the summer.

AND in other news, Edu could seal instant Jorginho upgrade in bargain Arsenal swoop for £152k-p/w "monster"...