Arsenal are willing to break the bank to sign Leicester City’s influential duo Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante, according to reports in the Independent.
Arsene Wenger is keen to sign both Mahrez and Kante however Mahrez is said to be happy at Premier League Champions. The Gunners though would be keen to strengthen their squad to challenge for trophies next season.
After a strong start of the season Arsenal couldn’t continue their momentum and in addition to usual fitness concerns they struggled to the race for title this season. Wenger would like to
Arsene Wenger is already looking to add fresh faces in the midfield given that Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini will all leave at the end of the season when their contracts expire.
There are also concerns over Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chaberlain’s form and fitness. Both have been linked with the Emirates Stadium exit and their departures would pave the way for the £40m-rated Algerian international.
The Independent is reporting that the Gunners are ready to spend big and speedy Mahrez is said to be their prime target. Wenger also considered signing him when Algerian international was playing in French second division.
While signing Mahrez could be tough as he is attracting a lot of interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. However Arsenal would still be hopeful to sign his compatriot Kante who could be the Answer for their midfield conundrum that has troubled Arsenal since departure of Patrick Viera.
Kante’s impressive midfield performances have pushed his value up to £20m and Wenger believes that he would provide his side with some much-needed steel. The Gunners have already held discussions about the availability of both players and are willing to offer Premier League winners up to £60m for their services.
His superb performances this season has seen him breaking into France squad for Euro 2016 staring next month. He has already got some international friendlies under his belt, scoring one against Russia. Both Mahrez and Konte were influential to the Leicester in winning Premier League title and manager Claudio Ranieri has urged them to stay despite interests from several clubs including Arsenal.
However Ranieri knows at the end of day players will move if they want to and he doesn’t want those types of players around the squad. So Arsenal would be hoping to sign at least one of them at best and know their addition would definitely add strength to the squad. It remains to be seen whether we actually go on and sign them in coming days.
