Arsenal Face Fight to Keep Defender Amid Interest From Spain

Nacho Monreal is wanted by several Spanish clubs who are hoping the promise of regular first team football will be enough to convince the left-back to leave Arsenal after just one year at the club.

The Spanish defender has struggled to force his way into the first team since arriving in January from Malaga for £8.5m.

Last season he made 10 appearances in the league but has failed to dislodge Kieran Gibbs in the current campaign and is yet to start a single game in the Premier League.

With the World Cup taking place next summer Monreal may well feel he needs to feature regularly to win a place in Vicente Del Bosque's Spain squad, something he may not be granted at Arsenal.

According to the Daily Mirror a number of Spanish sides are hoping that they can convince Monreal to make the move back to La Liga in January, with the likes of Valenica, Real Sociedad and Granada all chasing the experienced left-back.

Monreal excelled while playing for Malaga and was instrumental in helping the club qualify for the Champions League under the guidance of now Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

The 27 year old has already played for Spain on 16 occasions but may well need to receive more regular game time for Arsenal if he wants to be assured of his place in Brazil.

Arsenal are believed to be keen to keep hold of Monreal but he has suggested that his lack of game time could hinder his chances of being selected for Spain.

"I'm aware that it's not going to be easy (getting to the World Cup) , also partly because I'm not getting as many minutes as I would like with Arsenal," said Monreal.

"I'm going to continue fighting and working hard because I really want to be at the World Cup."

However, he may decide that remaining at Arsenal and competing for major honours would be better than returning to a Spanish side who have little chance of competing with Barcelona or Real Madrid for the league title.