Wenger Wary of Spurs under Sherwood
Wenger a big fan of 21-year-old Ntep. IBTimes UK

Auxerre striker Paul-Georges Ntep has confirmed Arsenal are interested in signing him but insists any decision on his future will be made by the French club's president.

The Gunners' need for additional options up front has intensified following the news that Theo Walcott will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury during his side's 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.

Roma are interested in signing the France Under-21 international during the January transfer window, but Arsene Wenger may consider making his interest formal for a player he recently lauded on French television for having a "great future."

Auxerre, who currently sit 11<sup>th in the second tie of French football, are bracing themselves for bids and Ntep admits he is prepared to leave if club president Guy Cotret believes it to be the best move for the team.

"Interest from Arsenal and Roma? It is nice, but if a big club think of you among many players, what does it change? Anyway, this is not my decision. This must address the president," Ntep was quoted as saying by Le Sport 10.

Auxerre have reportedly placed an €8m price tag on the 21-year-old striker, which may not be enough to stave off interest from the Premier League and Serie A. Ntep himself however is aware that bigger clubs will traditionally leave their transfer dealings until the summer.

"The winter transfer widow is complicated because the clubs do not necessarily want to invest large sums and prefer the summer transfer window for that," the striker told Foot Mercato. "So I said at the start of this window it would have to be the case of an exceptional proposal."

Just last summer were Arsenal taking another striker from the Auxerre ranks. Yaya Sanogo left the club at the end of his contract last June to complete his move to the Gunners, but has struggled for game time this season due to a succession of injuries.