Arsenal Keen on Signing Liverpool and Tottenham Target Karl Darlow from Nottingham Forest

Arsenal are reportedly looking to beat fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Karl Darlow.

Sky Sports reports that the Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has been tracking the shot-stopper and has earmarked him as a replacement for Lukasz Fabianski, who joined Swansea City. The Frenchman has only Wojciech Szczesny in the goalkeeping department and is hence in the market to sign a backup for the Polish international.

Newly appointed Spurs boss, Mauricio Pochettino was thought to be keen on signing Darlow to provide competition for his first choice keeper Hugo Lloris. The 23-year-old had also emerged as a target for Reds boss Brendan Rodgers as the Northern Irishman planned to offload Pepe Reina.

However, the Spaniard's agent had claimed that the 31-year-old will return to Anfield and fight for a starting role with Simon Mignolet. This could force the Merseyside club's interest in the Forest academy product to recede.

Darlow has become one of the most sought after goalkeepers in England since his rise to prominence over the last two seasons. He was rewarded with a new four-year deal last summer. All the three clubs are believed to have been sending scouts to the City Ground in the last 18 months.

The Nottinghamshire based club are not keen on losing their young players and newly appointed manager Stuart Pearce is determined to build a squad to fight for promotion next season.

The Spurs are also said to be interested in signing England U-20 centre-back Jamaal Lascelles from Forest but the 52-year-old stands firm on his willingness to retain a majority of his first-team players.

"The only way I would accept an offer for our best young players is if it's sensational and enables me to strengthen the team, so I know at the end of any negotiations I'm stronger than when I started at the offset," the Telegraph quoted Pearce as saying.

"But the bottom line is we don't take money for our best young players. The chairman has got enough financial clout to trust my judgment on that. There is no pressure to sell the players."

"Young players are a real commodity in this day and age and I think my staff and myself can make him a better footballer by staying at this club," he concluded.