ARSENAL EYE £30m LEFT BACK RICARDO

UNAI EMERY is considering a late swoop for Ricardo Rodriguez of AC Milan in a bid to solve Arsenal’s problems at left back. Sead Kolasinac faces up to 10 weeks out with a knee injury suffered in last week’s friendly against Chelsea in Dublin. Nacho Monreal has not featured in pre-season having returned from the World Cup with a minor knee injury which has kept him out of full training. Monreal is expected to return to Emery’s squad this week but is a serious doubt for Sunday’s Premier League opener at home against Manchester City. Versatile youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles is the most likely to step into the role against City. Rodriguez (right) moved to Italy last summer after five years at Wolfsburg and made an instant impression. Milan are not keen to sell the 25-year-old Switzerland international and it may take £30million to prise him away. Meanwhile, new right back Stephan Lichtsteiner believes Arsenal are ready to ‘catch fire’ as the Emery era takes shape. The 34-year-old Swiss defender, signed on a free transfer from Juventus, played for the first time as Arsenal swept aside Lazio 2-0 in Stockholm on Saturday. After his World Cup exertions, Lichtsteiner, who won seven Serie A titles with Juventus, said: ‘We are ready and it was important to show this. I see players with big character and big qualities. I think this team just needs this last fire to explode. ‘It’s the same project like seven years ago at Juventus. It’s important to come back into the Champions League. Step by step we will grow and go forward. ‘When you are at big clubs like Arsenal it’s important to have in your head the aim to win titles.’