Serie A star with Arsenal tattoo 'dreams of Emirates move', he had a Vieira poster in his room as a child

Lecce midfielder and life-long Arsenal fan Morten Hjulmand dreams of a move to the Emirates, according to reports.

The Danish holding midfielder has excelled in Italy this season, missing just two Serie A matches, for which he was only absent through suspension.

And a move to the north London club wouldn't be too out of the ordinary considering he has attracted interest from the Premier League.

The Italian club reportedly turned down Southampton's £11.5million bid for the Denmark international in January.

He is contracted with the Italian side until 2024, but is 'likely to leave' this summer according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund are also thought to be sniffing around the 23-year-old.

Hjulmand 'dreams of Arsenal move'

The report also claims that Hjulmand is a die-hard gooner and has an Arsenal tattoo on his left shoulder.

Whilst he is said to have had a poster of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira on his wall as a child.

Arsenal are yet to show an interest in signing Hjulmand, but Mikel Arteta is after a ball-winning midfielder this summer, with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo having been identified as targets.

The Gunners saw two bids rejected by Brighton for Caicedo in January, instead opting to sign Jorginho from Chelsea on deadline day.

However, Arteta is said to have not given up on the Ecuador international and could return for him in the summer.

Meanwhile, West Ham midfielder Rice has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this summer

Arteta is said to have been 'directly involved' in discussions with the England international.

Journalist Rudy Galetti told GiveMeSport: "Declan Rice, for sure, remains a priority for Arsenal in the summer.

“There are some updates because the Gunners have the West Ham midfielder in their sights and first contact to collect preliminary information already happened.

"During January, there were new contacts in which Arteta was directly involved.

“No personal terms have been under discussion with the entourage of Declan Rice, but Arsenal understood that the player wants to join them."

Topics: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Serie A, Southampton, Premier League, Patrick Vieira

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno