Arsenal fringe player Johan Djourou could be bound for Hannover 96 in the January transfer window, according to reports in German newspaper Bild.

GettyImagesJohan Djourou is out of favour at the Emirates

Djourou, 25, has slipped down the pecking order at Arsenal and, after last year’s successful winter signing of Mame Diouf from Manchester United, Hannover are now keen to add the Switzerland international to their defence.

An exhausting first half of the season - with a total of 30 games in only four-and-a-half months - saw the Leinesiders drop back to 11th  position in Bundesliga. A lack of squad depth has seen them concede 31 goals, while they crashed out of the German Cup to Borussia Dortmund in late December.

Hannover are believed to be ready to pay £1 million to land Djourou as they seek to claim European football again this season. Despite falling back to 11^th, the club still only trail the Europa League spots by three points.