Arsenal set to sign Polish international defender Jakub Kiwior from ...

Arsenal are reportedly close to signing Polish central defender Jakub Kiwior from Serie A side Spezia.

The Athletic reports that Mikel Arteta’s side are closing in on a deal worth €20million (£17.5million).

Arsenal are surprise leaders of the Premier League after missing out on a top-four finish last year but are now five points clear of Manchester City, with a game more to play than their closest rivals.

They had been linked with a £85m deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk for most of the window before the Ukrainian forward joined their Premier League rivals Shakhtar Donetsk.

Instead they now appear close to landing 28-year-old Belgian winger Leandro Trossard from Brighton after he fell out with manager signing Roberto De Zerbi. The deal is believed to be worth around £27m.

They now appear to have moved on to another signing with half of the Premier League campaign and the Europa League to contest.

The 22-year-old Polish central defender plays for Spezia in Italy, having played 37 times for them since joining from Zilina in Poland in 2021.

He has nine appearances for his national team, making his debut in 2022, and played for Poland four times at the Qatar World Cup.

Arsenal are yet to confirm the signing of either Kiwior or Trossard, but will need to be quick if they want to have them available for their next game.

They come up against Manchester United on Sunday at the Emirates, with Erik ten Hag’s men sitting in third and a potential title rival after last weekend’s win over Manchester City.