Arsenal monitor Cagliari midfielder Godfred Donsah

Arsenal are believed to be tracking the development of Godfred Donsah but could face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester City should they opt to step up their interest in the young Cagliari midfielder.

According to latest reports from the London Evening Standard, both clubs are monitoring the player's progress with Manuel Pellegrini's scouts said to have been dispatched to Stadio Sant'Elia on Monday evening to watch the 18-year-old in action against Inter Milan.

Donsah has made 17 appearances in all competitions so far this season for struggling Cagliari, scoring twice and registering one assist. He played the full 90 minutes against Inter alongside Lorenzo Crisetig and Daniele Conti but was unable to help prevent a 2-1 defeat that leaves Gianfranco Zola's side 18th in Serie A, three points adrift of Atalanta.

Neither Arsenal nor Manchester City find themselves overly short of midfield options at present, although it is an area that has become somewhat problematic for the former over recent months with captain Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey all having missed significant periods due to persistent injury problems.

That trio's struggles have led to an opportunity for Francis Coquelin to establish himself following a loan spell with Championship outfit Charlton Athletic, and Arsene Wenger also dipped into the transfer market in January to secure the signing of 17-year-old Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw.

Manchester City have generally been slow to offer regular first-team football to talented younger players since they became regular top-flight title contenders, although may be eager to inject an element of youth into their own midfielder department given the imminent departure of Frank Lampard and the steadily declining influence of Yaya Toure.

James Milner, who missed the 5-0 victory over Newcastle at the weekend but is expected to be fit to face Barcelona in the Champions League on February 24, is also out of contract at the end of the current season and it remains unclear if he will sign renewed terms before then or instead opt to end his five-year association with the club that has brought two Premier League titles and one FA Cup triumph.

However, if either side do decide to proceed with a move for Donsah, speculation suggests that securing a work permit for his services could be particularly difficult given that he is yet to win a senior international cap for his native Ghana.