Arsenal transfer news: Tireless Juve star to replace Sagna?

Reports claim Arsenal have turned to Italy in their hunt for the perfect player to replace full-back Bacary Sagna should the France international decide to leave. It is rumoured they have singled out Juve man, Stephan Lichtsteiner, as the man to run riot down the right, so talkSPORT's Transfer Spotlight has more on the 29-year-old...

Name: Stephan Lichtsteiner
Date of birth: 16/01/84
Birthplace: Adligenswil, Switzerland
Position: Right-back/wing-back
Club: Juventus
Honours: Serie A (x2), Coppa Italia (2008/09), Supercoppa Italiana (x2)
International appearances: 56 Switzerland caps

What's the latest?
Lichtsteiner has had yet another successful season with Juventus, winning a second Scudetto and getting to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League, but his time in Turin is apparently coming to an end. In January there were plenty of rumours suggesting the Switzerland international was unhappy with his reduced role at Juve, so the opportunity to go unchallenged as Arsenal's number one right-back could be tempting for him, with the Gunners said to be willing to offer £12m.

Did you know?
1) Lichtsteiner started out at home town team FC Adligenswil, then moved to Lucerne for four years before joining the youth ranks of Grasshoppers in 2000.

2) The defender made his professional debut for Grasshoppers during the 2001/02 season, and established himself in the first team during the following campaign, making 25 appearances in all competitions and winning the Swiss league title in the process. His tireless running and endless energy eventually earned him a move abroad where he joined French side Lille in 2005, spending three years there before heading to Lazio in Italy's Serie A.

3) Lichtsteiner won a trophy in his first season with Lazio when he lifted the 2009 Coppa Italia, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out win against Sampdoria, then helped Lazio to Italian Super Cup success ahead of the 2009/10 season a few months later. Juventus paid just over £8m for his services in July 2011.

4) He scored his first Juve goal on his debut against Parma in September 2011, a goal that has gone down in Juve history as the first league strike in the new Juventus Stadium, with Lichtsteiner becoming a key player during the club's memorable 2011/12 unbeaten season. He helped Juventus successfully defend their league title this season, though with 28 appearances, he has played less than the 36 games he managed last year.

5) Lichtsteiner was an U21 international for Switzerland and represented his country in the 2004 U21 European Championship. He received his first call-up to the senior side in 2005, but failed to make an appearance and earned his first cap against Brazil in 2006. He has since starred for Switzerland at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup and scored his first international goal against Montenegro in 2011, while his second came in a memorable 5-3 victory against Germany in 2012.

He says
“The chances of Lichsteiner leaving will depend on what Antonio Conte wants to do tactically, if he does leave, Juventus will find a suitable replacement.”
- FIFA agent Andrea Pretti on the possibility of Lichsteiner leaving Juventus.

Video evidence

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