Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Rumoured to Be Scouting Bassem Srarfi

Arsenal have reportedly joined Leicester City in scouting Nice winger Bassem Srarfi, with both clubs said to have watched the Tunisia international during a recent friendly.

Foot Mercato (h/t Goal's Taiye Taiwo) reported scouts from both the Gunners and the Foxes were ready to run the rule over Srarfi when Tunisia met Portugal on Monday. However, Taiwo noted Srafi "could only manage 14 minutes of action" during the 2-2 draw in Braga.

Srarfi was a substitute for his nation on Monday, after spending most of this season as a squad player at club level. The 20-year-old made just 16 starts across all competitions for Nice, but he still netted three times in Ligue 1.

Leicester's interest stems from the potential transfer involving star man Riyad Mahrez and Premier League champions Manchester City. The Citizens are rumoured to be prepared to pay up to £75 million to sign Algeria's attacking talisman Mahrez, per Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.

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Losing Mahrez would leave Leicester short of another player who can decide matches from the flanks. Yet the Foxes already have a winger who combines pace, power and trickery in the form of 22-year-old Fousseni Diabate, while Demarai Gray is another versatile wide forward who can operate on either side.

By contrast, Arsenal lack flexibility on the flanks after a season in which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez all moved on. It means the squad inherited by new head coach Unai Emery contains many players who can play on the wings but are better suited at other positions.

Among them, Danny Welbeck, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are natural centre-forwards rather than wide players. Similarly, Alex Iwobi is more comfortable in the middle as a No. 10, despite his ability to carry the ball past players.

What the Gunners need is genuine pace, width and skill out wide. Emery has often played a 4-2-3-1 formation during his career, a tactical structure reliant on width in support of the lone striker.

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Signing Srarfi wouldn't give Emery a ready-made option to work with. However, it would mean Arsenal getting a raw talent their new coach can develop and make better.

It's the model of team-building with Emery, head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and head of football relations Raul Sanllehi calling the shots.