Arsenal will reportedly compete with West Ham United for £32.5 million Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi. The Gunners are ready to meet the price, but are not the Argentine’s only suitor, with Atletico Madrid also mooted as an interested party.

Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Jack Staplehurst of the Sunday Express) described how Arsenal could have the edge in any attempts to convince Icardi to move away from Serie A:

It remains to be seen if Icardi would be interested in a switch to West Ham, after Inter failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.

Arsenal and Atletico, who are reportedly yet to bid, are both in Europe’s elite club competition next term, although the Gunners are more likely to give him regular first-team football.  

France striker Antoine Griezmann agreed a new deal at Atletico this week, securing his future at the club.

TalkSport recently suggested Gunners boss Arsene Wenger “first registered an interest in the Argentine last summer” and is prepared to pay the asking price.

It makes sense for Wenger to do what it takes to recruit another striker for a squad lacking a quality finisher. His first attempt to improve options up front failed when Leicester City‘s Jamie Vardy turned down a move to north London.

Icardi is a suitable alternative to Vardy thanks to his deceptive pace and intelligent movement in the final third. He’s a clever and athletic No. 9 who scored 16 league goals for Inter last season, according to WhoScored.com.

Icardi‘s varied runs and class in front of goal would make him an upgrade on target man Olivier Giroud as a foil for the creativity of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Wenger must bolster the striker position ahead of the new Premier League campaign, after being let down by Giroud‘s inconsistency and the injury issues that blighted Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck last season.

 

N’Golo Kante on 5-man List of Arsenal Targets

Wenger is reportedly ready to shed his reputation for caution in the transfer market and spend £250 million on five players, including Leicester City‘s N’Golo Kante, per Tony Stenson of the Daily Star.

Stenson believes Wenger will target Kante and a quartet of other stars in response to Pep Guardiola taking over at Manchester City and Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Manchester United: “Marco Reus, David Alaba, N’Golo Kante, Aymeric Laporte and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are on his list of top names as Wenger goes for broke.”

He also detailed what it would take to prise Kante away from the Premier League champions: “Kante, meanwhile, has always been on Wenger’s radar but he never expected him to shine the way he did last season for Leicester. His defensive midfield duties would allow Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere or Mesut Ozil to get forward more. He’d be a £40m buy.”

Despite the bold nature of this rumour, it’s difficult to believe Wenger will suddenly be so outlandish this summer. He’s always been a manager who resists stacking positions and trusting a bloated squad.

Still, Kante remains an intriguing target for a team seemingly always needing a firmer foundation in midfield and greater protection in front of the defence. Wenger has yet to officially back off a possible bid for Kante, according to Ben Jacobs of beIN Sports:

The Gunners chief hasn’t been shy about talking up Kante‘s qualities, recently even suggesting the Foxes have already found the player’s replacement, per Jacobs:

That last line about Arsenal’s current crowded midfield rings true since Wenger has already signed Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka this year. However, Kante is more defensive and destructive than either player.

Pairing him with Xhaka would not only provide extra cover for a soft defensive centre, it would also give the Gunners the power in the middle of the park to compete anywhere against any team. 

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