Calero could prove to be Koscielny’s long-term replacement under Emery’s guidance

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Arsenal are leading the chase for Real Valladolid central defender Fernando Calero, according to Cadena Ser, via TeamTalk.

The report claims that Unai Emery is confident of securing a cut-price deal for the centre half; getting him for just £9.9m due to a clause in his current contract with the Spanish outfit.

Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund are both also apparently in the hunt for Calero’s signature and there is pressure to act fast before Valladolid tie him down to a new deal without that relatively low release clause.

In the short term, Emery needs a replacement for the injured Rob Holding, who has been ruled out for between six and nine months and another defender with injury problems is Laurent Koscielny.

If Emery wants to persist with his three man defensive system, he will need new defensive blood and replacing Koscielny has to be a pressing objective given his injury problems.

23-year-old Calero could be that long-term solution and even though a low transfer fee and a reasonably quiet reputation may not immediately excite Gunners fans, that could make him even more like Koscielny.

When Koscielny arrived at Arsenal in 2010, he came from Lorient, which muted the fanfare and expectations around him, and if Calero does pitch up at the Emirates Stadium next month, he would be hoping to follow in the Frenchman’s footsteps, in more ways than one.