1 Benfica ace Nemanja Matic

Arsenal are set to rival Chelsea, Man City, Man United and Real Madrid in the race to sign Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matic.

The Serbian has been linked with a return to the Premier League in the January transfer window, having played at Stamford Bridge earlier in his career.

But it’s the Gunners who have made the first move after they made contact with Matic’s agent Dejan Mitrovic about a possible move to the Emirates, talkSPORT understands.

Matic left Chelsea for Benfica as part of the deal that took Brazilian defender David Luiz in the opposite direction back in 2011. The Serbian international’s performances for the Portuguese side have made the 25-year-old one of the most wanted midfieldes in Europe.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is keen to reshape his midfield and is also reportedly keen on Inter Milan star Freddy Guarin. Meanwhile City boss Manuel Pellegrini also wants to add to his midfield options in January as the Blues try to win back the title from local rivals Manchester United.