Arteta desperately trying to convince under-appreciated Real Madrid star to join Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is doing everything he can to convince Real Madrid star Alvaro Carreras to move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

The Spaniard is personally pushing to bring the Madrid full-back to north London, but his most pertinent task is guiding his side to the Champions League final, with the first leg of the semi-final against Atletico Madrid set to take place tonight.

Indeed, the Gunners are set to travel to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, having reached the semi-final of the Champions League for the second season on the spin, but they will have their work cut out if they do make it to the final.

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5-4 in the first leg of an enthralling semi-final on Tuesday night, after which Jason Cundy suggested Arteta’s side won’t be able to compete with either team.

Real Madrid meanwhile exited the competition in the quarter-final at the hands of Bayern Munich, but it didn’t stop manager Alvaro Arbeloa lauding one of the lesser known and under-appreciated players in a star-studded squad.

Arteta keen for Arsenal to sign Alvaro Carreras

Arbeloa isn’t alone in his admiration of the left-back, who has made 38 appearances in all competitions this season, with a report from Caught Offside revealing Arteta is ‘heavily selling’ a move to the Emirates Stadium.

The Arsenal boss appears to be desperate to sign the full-back, and he is willing to offer him an important role in the squad.

Manchester United, Juventus and Napoli are also credited with an interest in the defender, and despite him being tied down until 2031, Real Madrid may be willing to sanction a departure.

There are some question marks over whether the Gunners need to bring in a new left-back though, considering Arteta is already well-stocked in that area.

Riccardo Calafiori

Although he has struggled injury-wise at times, Calafiori has been an important player for Arsenal throughout the campaign, making 31 appearances in all competitions, including 22 in the Premier League.

Riccardo Calafiori’s Premier League season

• 1,455 minutes played

• 1 goal

• 2 assists

• 31 tackles

• 14 interceptions

• 3 clean sheets

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Lewis-Skelly hasn’t exactly played a key role for the Gunners this season, having failed to really kick on since starring against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s Premier League season

• 411 minutes played

• 0 goals

• 0 assists

• 6 tackles

• 3 interceptions

• 0 clean sheets

However, at 19-years-old, the left-back is still very young, and has plenty of time to reach his potential, as long as his game time isn’t even more hampered by the potential arrival of Carreras.