According to The Metro today, Arsenal are willing to fork up a whopping €18million in order to sign Valencia’s Luis Gaya.

Arsenal are said to be willing to meet the required fee to trigger the defender’s release clause in his contract as the try to wade off competition from teams such as Real Madrid, who are reportedly chasing his signature.

Gaya has been linked with the Gunners for some time and now the La Liga champions have reportedly joined the race for his signature. Gaya is being dubbed as one of the best defenders in La Liga, gaining interest from many clubs across Europe.

It is apparent that Arsenal are looking to steal the player from in under Real Madrid’s nose by trying to meet the release clause in the left-back’s contract. According to The Express, the Gunners are hoping to trigger this before the month is out.

It is being reported that Valencia are hoping to tie Gaya down to a new deal to keep him at the Spanish club for some time longer however I is unclear as of yet whether he wishes to stay or leave.

Arsenal have certainly been in the market for more defensive players this transfer window. Arsene Wenger has already secured the signature of Legia Warsaw’s Krystian Bielik and it seem like we are just waiting on confirmation of the deal to sign Gabriel Paulista to be released, after the Gunners secured a work permit for him.

To see that Wenger is actually looking to add more defensive cover to the squad is refreshing. He is actually adding to the positions that he needs to add to. If this deal goes through, the Gunners have gained some real depth in their squad, and should certainly stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.