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Arsenal have been linked with Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey in the past couple of days, who is someone that has previously earned rave reviews from ex-Gunners star and pundit Paul Merson.

According to the Daily Mirror, Arsenal are monitoring the 20-year-old speedster at Premier League rivals Brighton, plus Manchester City and Bayern Munich have also been watching his progress.

The report explains that Barcelona are lining up a potential swoop for Gunners right-back, with English full-back Lamptey mentioned as a potential replacement at the Emirates Stadium.

Lamptey, who came through the Chelsea academy system, decided to left Stamford Bridge back in January in search of first-team football with Brighton.

The attack-minded right-back has arguably been their standout individual since joining, which is why it’s no surprise there are potential suitors for him.

Merson gave a glowing verdict on Lamptey back in September, who has been brilliant this season despite some recent injury issues.

“It takes a lot of bottle to leave a big club like Chelsea… I think he’s a very, very good player. Just got to keep improving. He looks like one of those lads who wants to listen, wants to work hard, wants to play football,” he said.

TBR’s View:

Lamptey has received widespread praise from pundits during the calendar year and his reputation has soared due to his high-level performances on the South Coast.

The £35,000-a-week star (Spotrac) has all the tools to play at an elite club, as he’s tenacious in his defending one-on-one and going forward he’s electric with his overlapping runs.

Despite being diminutive in size, he plays with huge personality on the football pitch and his potential seems colossal considering he only turned 20 in September.

He took the brave decision at the beginning of the year to move away from Chelsea due to the fact he had talented Blues youngster Reece James ahead of him in the pecking order, but he’s proving what a skilful right-back he is in his own right.