Arsenal is reportedly targeting Roma defender Kostas Manolas in January as a potential long-term replacement for Per Mertesacker, whose contract with the English Premier League club is soon coming to an end, the recent football transfer rumors revealed.

Manolas, 25, has been consistently linked with a move to England during the recent summer transfer window, but no deal ever pushed through.

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The Greece international is due for a contract renewal with Roma, but is rumored to be "stalling" as he wants to exit the Italian Serie A squad for a chance to play in the Premier League, Metro reported.

Arsenal is still short on backfield players this season despite the $42.8 million signing of center-back Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia in August.

Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger is still hunting potential players and Manolas has been one of the top defenders in his wish list, according to the Mirror.

However, the North London giants is reportedly set to encounter resistance from fellow big-name English clubs, such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City, if they decide to bid for him this January, Manolas' agent Ioannis Evangelopoulos dished.

"There was strong interest in Kostas from top clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in the summer," said Evangelopoulos. "I am sure those clubs are still watching him."

Meanwhile, Arsenal skipper Mertesacker, 32, is said to be keen on leaving the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season, after his former teams Hannover and Werder Bremen expressed interest in bringing him back to the Bundesliga next year.

Mertesacker is one of the team's premier defenders and losing him will make a huge hole in Wenger's defense.

The retired Germany international has been injury-prone in the past couple of seasons, most probably because of his advancing age and so Wenger may also want to find a long-term replacement for the captain soon.

Manolas is in his third season with Roma and has appeared in 97 games in all competitions for the Italian capital city squad. He scored twice during the said time period playing mainly on the defensive end of the pitch.

Tags Football Transfer Rumors, Football Transfer Rumors 2016, Arsenal FC, Kostas Manolas, AS Roma