Arsenal and Manchester United Battle it Out for Young Juventus Defender

​Arsenal are set to make a £35million offer for Juventus star Daniele Rugani in an attempt to ward off Manchester United from capturing the Italian centre-back.

The Gunners want to take advantage of Juve’s reluctance to fully add in Rugani to the starting lineup on a permanent basis.

Maximiliano Allegri has kept Rugani on the bench a number of times this season and the 23-year-old could now seek a move away from Turin, with January offers from ​Premier League giants reportedly imminent, according to ​Il Po​sticipo.

If Rugani’s centre-back rival Mehdi Benetia maintains his form, ​Juventus may be forced into selling the Italian international due to their inability to guarantee an offer of first team football to a player beginning to demand it as he enters the prime of his career.

Both Arsenal and Manchester United have had defensive issues this season and the addition of Rugani would certainly be a welcome one to either side.

​Arsenal’s defensive performance against ​Manchester United at the start of December prompted heavy criticism of individual mistakes that plagued them during the clash.

Ian Wright, speaking on Match of the Day, talked about how most of United’s chances could’ve been avoided "simply by switching on."

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof has had turbulent time and has been heavily criticised time at Old Trafford since his move from Benfica in the summer, and Rugani could be seen as his replacement to provide a more secure and consistent defence.