Nice president confirms Barcelona interest in Arsenal target Jean Michael Seri

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are hot on the trail of Jean Michael Seri according to Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere. The midfielder has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old Ivory Coast international was an integral part of the Ligue 1 club as they challenged eventual winners AS Monaco and PSG for the title. Seri, who plays as a deep-lying midfielder made 39 appearances in all competitions for Nice scoring seven goals and assisting nine.

The Ivorian midfielder's performance during the course of the campaign has attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe. Barcelona are said to be big admirers of Seri, but see him as an alternate to Marco Verratti, who is their primary target. PSG, on the other hand, are said to be monitoring him as a replacement for the Italian, if he decides to join the Catalan giants.

According to the Guardian, Arsenal and north London rivals Spurs are also tracking the midfielder. The two clubs are also said to have had the player scouted on a number of occasions during the recently concluded campaign. It is claimed that the player's agent was in London earlier in the year to informally hold talks with the two London outfits.

Seri is open to the idea of leaving Nice during the summer transfer window, but has made it clear that he will only join a club where he has a chance to play regular first-team football. The Ivorian has previously revealed his admiration for Barcelona. He is contracted to the Ligue 1 club until the summer of 2019 and reportedly has a £33m ($42.7m).

"There are a lot of clubs that follow me. But there is nothing done," Seri said, as quoted by the Sun. "If I leave, it will be to join a club where there is a real desire to play football as in Nice."

"And I'm not going to be on the bench, I'm leaving only if I know I'm going to play," he added.

The Ligue 1 club are reluctant to lose one of their key players after a successful season and the president made it clear that they are not under pressure to sell. However, he did admit that there will be a few departures and additions during the upcoming transfer window.

Roma are the only club to have made an offer thus far, but it was rejected as it did not meet the club's valuation of the player. They are yet to receive any other offers thus far, but the club's president did confirm that Barcelona and PSG have registered an interest to sign Seri.

"We do not want to sell and we do not need to sell, but some players will march and others will come," Rivere told Radio Montecarlo, as quoted by Spanish publication Sport.

"We have rejected the offer of Rome because it was too low for Seri. We have not received offers, but Barça and PSG are hot tracks," the Nice president added.