A TRIO of Premier League clubs are ready to battle it out for highly-rated defender Dayot Upamecano, according to reports.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City have all expressed interest in landing the RB Leipzig man in a deal worth £50million in January.

The Bundesliga side are prepared to cash in if they can land Paris Saint-Germain youngster Tanguy Kouassi as his replacement.

They are already resigned to losing the 21-year-old talent after he refused to extend his current deal, that expires at the end of 2021.

Arsenal are keen admirers and saw a £55m bid turned down in the summer.

And they are thought to be frontrunners for his signature when the window opens on Wednesday with boss Mikel Arteta desperate to land a central defender.

Arsenal’s defensive frailties have seen them concede 30 goals this season in 20 matches – the joint worse in the top 12.

But they face stiff competition from their Prem rivals who see Upamecano as a coup at £50m.

Reports in the Star claim Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer as he looks to make his first signing as Spurs boss.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City are also in the market with the Spaniard desperate to land a central defender.

Their failure to replace Vincent Kompany and the injury to Aymeric Laporte has seen his side fall 13 points behind Liverpool in the title race.

Upamecano has featured 13 times in the league this season and five in the Champions League.