Bournemouth are emerging as contenders to sign Jack Wilshere on loan from Arsenal amid interest from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Serie A side Roma.
A club source told ESPN FC on Tuesday that Arsenal are looking to send Wilshere out on loan this season to give the midfielder a chance to revive his injury-plagued career.
Several British newspapers reported that Crystal Palace were heading the chase for the England midfielder on Wednesday morning, but ESPN FC sources close to the player indicate that Bournemouth have now become the likely option.
Eddie Howe's team play a similar brand of passing football to Arsenal. The stability of Howe's setup at Dean Court is also an attraction.
Wilshere has family issues to consider, as a father of two young children and with his home in Hertfordshire. That looked to rule out mooted interest from Roma, among a reported 22 clubs interested in taking on the England international, though Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reported to have restricted any move to within the Premier League.
Bournemouth, on England's South Coast, may be further away than Crystal Palace in south London, but is still within reasonable reach.
The presence of striker Benik Afobe, a former Gunners trainee and a close friend of Wilshere, is also a factor. Wilshere met with Bournemouth officials on Tuesday, including Howe, and also held a similar meeting with Palace and manager Alan Pardew.
Sources have told ESPN FC that Roma has been seriously considered by Wilshere and his advisers.
Wilshere has yet to make a Premier League start this season, after making just one in the whole of the 2015-16 campaign before disappointing with England at Euro 2016. New national team boss Sam Allardyce did not select him for the squad to face Slovakia on Sept. 4.
"Jack just hasn't had enough game time," Allardyce said on Monday. "Hopefully he will get that in the future at Arsenal."
Wilshere is now set to be playing away from the Emirates in his bid to win back his England place.
At Arsenal, he faced a losing battle for a first-team place. Wenger recruited Switzerland's Granit Xhaka over the summer to bolster his options in the middle of the park, with Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny, Francis Coquelin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also competing for places.