5 top midfielders being eyed by Europe's top clubs

#4 Jean Michael-Seri (OGC Nice)

The Nice player dreams of playing for Barcelona

Age: 26

Height: 1.68m

Nationality: Ivory Coast

Michael-Seri has enjoyed widespread affection from the club’s fans due to his impact on the team and their European endeavours in the past two years as the 26-year-old-Ivorian international has been at the centre of the French team’s league exploits.

The midfielder's style of play is reminiscent of Barcelona great and his role model, Xavi. Add to that Seri’s desire to don the Blaugrana jersey, there is a possibility that he might fancy a move to Spain this summer despite heavy interest from England.

He will command a high price if he indeed moves on from the French club but it would be justified since his range of passing and his versatility makes him a difficult player to defend against. Possessing creative flair backed up with a well-honed defensive nous, he could be an asset to any club seeking to challenge for the big silverware.

However, clubs need to keep in mind that he suffers from chilblains which prevent him from training in cold weather and is a cause of great discomfort for the player. This could even be a deal breaker and needs to be discussed with the player himself before a transfer is agreed.

His versatility is something that the Gunners could use as the pairing of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey has not been as fruitful as former manager Arsene Wenger hoped for. With a new manager coming in, Arsenal could seek to get someone like Seri to make the difference with his distribution and defensive work.

How much he would cost remains to be seen but reports suggest that Nice hold all the cards and can ask for a high fee.