Bengaluru, Dec. 26: Mikel Arteta is interested to make midfielder Adrien Rabiot his first priority signing for Arsenal when the transfer window opens next week, according to the Times.

Earlier in the Summer, Arsenal were tipped to make a move for the player, however, after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, he signed as a free agent for Juventus.

Initially, it was termed as a very smart move by the Italian giants however things so far have not gone well for the player. The French midfielder has found it difficult to meet the requirements of new manager Maurizio Sarri. As a result, he has seen his game time-limited, only making nine league appearances, five of which were from start. The Frenchman is now the fifth choice in the side, behind Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ramsey in the pecking order.

It's unlikely the player will be involved in the second half of the campaign either which now has made him look for a move in January to get regular game-time to reignite his form during the second half of the campaign.

Arsenal are believed to be one of the candidates to show interest in the player however apparently it is of a temporary loan move.

Rabiot has a contract until 2023 and it is unlikely he will be offloaded just after six months. However, Juventus could let him go to so he gets more game time.

A wise decision by Arsenal?

Rabiot could be a stunning signing for Arsenal for multiple reasons. The French midfielder is a serial winner for his spells in PSG and he would surely bring that winning mentality to the side which they are lacking. Plus due to injury to Dani Ceballos, coupled with the inconsistencies of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, he could be the best anchorman in the midfield. His skills could too suit Arteta's gameplan who could deploy more possession-based system at Emirates.

Plus there are rumours that Xhaka could be linked with a return to the Bundesliga, hence he too could be an excellent short-term replacement for the Swiss captain. Moreover, Arsenal are unlikely to sanction a bigger budget to Arteta at Winter so a loan move for Rabiot could be a shrewd move.