Christian Eriksen to Arsenal: Gunners in pole transfer position, Inter demands, swap deal issue

Arsenal are once again being linked with former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Danish attacker has fallen out of favour at current club Inter Milan and the Serie A side are looking to move him on.

Eriksen only left Arsenal's north London neighbours Tottenham back in January, but his days in the Italian city appear to be numbered and a return to England could be on the cards.

With that in mind, here is a round-up of everything we know so far about Arsenal's interest in the Denmark international.

Inter want £17m

Inter bosses said recently that Eriksen will be leaving the club.

Antonio Conte's side are looking for a permanent exit for the player, and not a loan deal, according to Calciomercato.

Inter are keen to recoup what they paid for him, however, which is around £17m.

Eriksen's salary is also said to be £7million a season so it would be a hefty transfer all round for Arsenal should they decide to bring him back to London.

Inter boss hints at exit

Giuseppe Marotta, the Inter Milan chief executive, hinted at the end of last year that Eriksen could leave the San Siro in January.

After signing from Spurs back in January, the midfield architect was expected to weave his magic in Italy as he so often had in the Premier League. However, less than a year after swapping London for Milan, an exit appears to be on the cards.

Marotta, as quoted by Sky Sports, said: "[Antonio] Conte has already spoken about it thoroughly. I can just add that we do not certainly have to force a player to stay when he asks to leave.

"We will have to evaluate the situation. Now he is available for Conte, who has been making him play in [Eriksen's] respect and in the club's respect. Up to now, we have not received any request from Eriksen, but at the right time we will try to find the right combinations."

Eriksen placed on transfer list

Inter Milan officially made the decision to place Eriksen on the transfer list ahead of the January window.

That is according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via SempreInter in November.

The Denmark international has struggled for form and consistency ever since arriving in Italy earlier this year, with him having scored just four goals in 33 appearances.

The report claims Inter would be open to the idea of doing a swap deal with Arsenal which would see Eriksen return to London and Granit Xhaka make the move to the San Siro.

Xhaka not keen on swap

Though Inter may be keen on signing Xhaka as part of a deal that would take Eriksen to the Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal midfielder is not so keen.

Xhaka has resurrected his Gunners career under Mikel Arteta and is said to be enjoying his football once again in north London.

According to TEAMtalk, Xhaka has no desire to seal a move to the San Siro and wishes to stay at the Emirates Stadium. With Inter keen on including the Switzerland international in any potential deal, it means a move for Eriksen could now be put at risk.

Dortmund keen on midfield star

Arsenal are not the only club keen on securing Eriksen's signature, with German giants Borussia Dortmund also exploring the possibility of signing him, a report by Tuttomercatoweb.com claims.

It is reported that Dortmund were exploring the prospect of signing the midfielder on loan in the latter stages of the summer transfer window but a deal of that nature was not suitable for Inter.

Nevertheless, Dortmund have kept tabs on the midfielder ever since and could test Inter's resolve with a permanent move in January.