Arsenal are fighting feverishly to secure the signing of Declan Rice this summer, but contingency plans are in place and Monaco's Youssouf Fofana could be the optimum alternative.

What's the latest on Youssouf Fofana to Arsenal?

That's according to The Daily Mail who suggest that if they cannot sign the England international, they could turn to Fofana this summer.

L'Equipe – as translated by Get Football News France – further claim that Arsenal are joined by Newcastle United and West Ham United in the race for the France international.

Valued at around €35m (£30m) by Monaco, Fofana is admired but as yet no concrete approach has been made, likely due to the Rice saga still firmly at the forefront of transfer conversation; Manchester City now rivalling Mikel Arteta's outfit in pushing for the pivoting midfielder.

Arsenal have returned to the Champions League after finishing second this season and will be looking for ways to leapfrog Manchester City and upgrade their ranks ahead of the new campaign.

Who is Youssouf Fofana?

Clearly, the signing to raise the roof for all affiliated with the Gunners comes in the mould of West Ham's Rice, who is indeed expected to depart the London Stadium this summer after guiding the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory.

But with Manchester City indeed hoping to procure the 24-year-old's services, Fofana could be the shrewd option to ensure the robustness of the midfield improves regardless.

As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old earned an average rating of 6.85 in Ligue 1 last term, playing 36 matches, completing 82% of his passes and averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game.

To put those numbers into context, no player managed more defensive actions in the entire Arsenal squad, with Thomas Partey sitting top of the tackling charts at the Emirates Stadium, making 2.1 per match.

Hailed as "magnificent" by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his exploits, Fofana's solidness and composure in the centre of the park would allow Arsenal's exciting attack to flourish, with the ace also capable of effectively contributing to the club's offensive progression.

Indeed, Fofana ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes and progressive carries, and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, illustrating a driving element to his game that could serve the dynamism of Arteta's midfield well.

And given that he ranks among the top 15% for interceptions per 90 too, there is a steely tenacity to his defensive workload that could allow the likes of Martin Odegaard to benefit from his aptitude as a midfield vehicle while also emboldened by his work in rebuffing danger.

Arsenal's captain has been integral in the resurgence since completing an initial £30m move from Real Madrid in August 2021 after impressing on loan, hailed as the squad's "conductor" by club legend Robert Pires.

Odegaard has been one of the most prolific midfielders in Europe this term, scoring 15 goals and supplying eight assists from 37 Premier League matches, earning an average Sofascore rating of 7.35.

Hailed as a "wizard" by footballer Babayele Sodade, the £115k-per-week Norwegian ranks among the top 1% of midfielders for goals and shot-creating actions, the top 2% for touches in the attacking box, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90.

Effectively, the importance of the respective sets of metrics lies in the fact that Odegaard thrives by pushing through the thirds and wreaking havoc with his blistering goalscoring ability and creativity, and as such requires a midfielder of immense physicality and determination to ensure that the threads of the midfield do not unravel.

Fofana can implement this with aplomb – evidenced by his high tackle and interception rate – while also pushing forward himself and aiding Odegaard in his frontal endeavours.

The timing will be key, and if the pair can develop a deep-rooted and cohesive understanding on the pitch, there's no telling just how formidable Arteta's Arsenal might turn out.

Rice is the desired jewel, the missing component to send the Emirates faithful into rapture, but Fofana might just be able to rival the Irons general and could be the perfect alternative.