Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton leading Liverpool in chase for 22-year-old Lille star

Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton are all leading the chase to sign Morocco international star Sofiane Boufal, according to Ed Aarons of the Guardian (via the Express).

The Premier League trio, who all finished in the top half of the English top-flight standings last term, are interested in snapping up the highly-rated Lille midfielder ahead of the forthcoming 2016/17 campaign.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton will hold talks with Sofiane Boufal’s agent this week over potential transfer from Lille #afc #cfc

— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) June 28, 2016

The 22-year-old, who made his international debut against Cape Verde back in March this year, scored an impressive 12 goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit last season.

Boufal, who has also been linked with fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool and La Liga giants FC Barcelona, has been identified by the Reds as an alternative transfer target following their failure to land Germany international Mario Gotze from FC Bayern Munich.

But the report suggests Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton have moved ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race to sign the attacking midfielder, with the trio set to hold talks with the player’s agent.