Arsenal have made contact to bring Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Arteta’s an admirer

The Spaniard will be out of contract at the Bernabeu at the end of the season and looks set to move onto new pastures having not been offered or signed a new deal.

Carlo Ancelotti’s winger is reportedly ‘very angry’ with his lack of game time having made just seven starts in La Liga this season so is considering his options elsewhere.

The Mirror report that Mikel Arteta is an admirer of the 27-year-old, whose agents are claimed to have flown to London in February to get a feel for which clubs might be interested.

The Latest: Arsenal make Asensio contact

According to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness), Arsenal and AC Milan have ‘spoken’ to Asensio’s camp and would be ‘willing to bid’ for him this summer, with Barcelona also in the mix.

The Gunners are ‘keeping close tabs’ on their target but are set to face stiff competition in the race for his signature.

The Verdict: Absolute bargain

Asensio has been dubbed a ‘magical’ player by his former teammate Casemiro and Arsenal landing him on a free transfer would be a steal.

The Palma native has posted 119 goal contributions in 359 career appearances and would offer excellent versatility with his ability to operate in six different positions across the field.

Madrid’s attacker also knows what it takes to be successful having won 16 trophies during his time at the club, so his winning mentality would match that of the current young and ambitious squad in N7.

Finally, Asensio actually shares the same agent as Fabio Vieira so this could potentially give the Gunners an advantage in their bid to entice him to the Emirates Stadium.