Arsenal are set to face further competition in the race to sign Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi—but the Serie A side will fight tooth and nail to keep their star.

According to Joe Short of the Express, the Gunners, along with rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, are interested in signing the forward, but club president Erick Thohir is adamant his player won’t be among those departing in January.

He told Italian outlet Tuttosport (h/t Short): “Icardi is our captain. He can now show that he can score more goals. There is a completely different team behind him, he and his team-mates need time.”

The striker has just three goals and an assist in nine Serie A matches this season, but he racked up an exceptional 27 goals and nine assists in all competitions last year. As WhoScored.com demonstrate, the 22-year-old has developed well in recent seasons:

Despite his goalscoring exploits, beIN Sports’ Matteo Bonetti favours Serie A’s other young striking talents:

Italian football expert James Horncastle acknowledged the youngster has not been at his best this year as Inter adapt to a raft of new faces brought in over the summer, but he is nevertheless convinced he will prove crucial to the club’s fortunes, per WhoScored.com:

Horncastle also noted his “instinct for goal is comparable with a shark finding a single drop of blood in the ocean.”

A clinical finisher, Icardi could help give Arsenal an even more ruthless edge up front, which would undoubtedly prove a huge help in sustaining a serious title challenge.

The Argentinian is naturally a crucial player at the San Siro, though, so Inter are of course reluctant to part with one of their stars as they seek a return to challenging for league titles themselves.

The Nerazzurri may not be the powerhouse they were in days gone by, which could see Icardi tempted to make a further step up to a club like Arsenal, but after recruiting well in the summer, they demonstrated their ambition and that could well see Icardi decide to stay.

One player who could be on the move is Mathieu Debuchy, after France manager Didier Deschamps has hinted the right-back may need to seek pastures new in January. Per Uche Amako of the Express, he said: “Mathieu Debuchy is in a position where he is playing very little, when he does play, look at yesterday’s result. He has a decision to make in December or January. He hasn’t lost his quality, he’s playing very little.”

The Frenchman’s injury problems since arriving at the Emirates have presented Hector Bellerin with a golden opportunity to nail down a starting berth, and the young Spaniard’s emergence has severely restricted Debuchy’s first-team opportunities.

Like the rest of Arsenal’s defence, Debuchy struggled to cope with Bayern Munich’s onslaught in the Champions League on Wednesday, though as Squawka Football revealed, he was the only defender to get close to the Bundesliga giants:

Debuchy is understandably lacking match practice but has experience and has shown in the past to be an effective full-back at Premier League level, making him a useful back-up for the Gunners in Bellerin’s stead.

However, particularly with the 2016 European Championships looming on the horizon, the 30-year-old isn’t likely to be content with a back-up role.

Further, though he has been selected in France’s squad for the upcoming international break, as Amako notes, Deschamps’ words are a clear indication that to make the tournament he needs regular minutes on the pitch.

Bellerin’s youth makes him a better long-term candidate for Arsenal, so barring a lengthy lay-off, Debuchy isn’t likely to be appearing regularly anytime soon, so expect him to seek a move in January.

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