Arsenal Transfer News: Napoli Enter Sime Vrsaljko Race in Latest Rumours

Arsenal and Manchester City will reportedly face competition from Napoli for the signature of Atletico Madrid right-back Sime Vrsaljko.

According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t TalkSport), the Partenopei "have made the Croatian one of their top priorities for the January transfer window and are ready to go big for him."

City and Arsenal are said to have been tracking the defender since he was at Sassuolo and remain keen on him.

Football writer Ryan Catanese was excited to see Vrsaljko at Atletico Madrid:

However, Vrsaljko has not made a particularly significant impact in the Spanish capital since his arrival last year.

After struggling to get off the bench for some time, he enjoyed a relatively brief run in the team before a knee injury cut short his 2016/17 season. He has been limited to just five outings in this campaign.

AS' Robbie Dunne does not understand why Atleti manager Diego Simeone isn't selecting the Croatia international:

It appears not to have worked out for him in Madrid, but Vrsaljko is a good player.

The 25-year-old has 30 caps for Croatia, and he showed his creativity for Sassuolo with eight assists in 59 appearances for the club.

He also reads the game well and is a robust ball-winner, so there's plenty he could bring to a new club if he makes a move to kickstart his career.

City are more in need of a left-back with Benjamin Mendy out, as Kyle Walker and Danilo play on the right, but Arsenal could use him—Hector Bellerin has not quite kicked on as expected over the past year, and Vrsaljko would provide stiffer competition for the Spain international than Mathieu Debuchy.

However, he spent a significant portion of his career in Italy, having also played for Genoa, so it may not be too surprising if he opted to return there should Napoli come in for him, particularly as they are challenging for the Serie A title this year.