Arsenal Target French stars As Wenger Prepares Spree After Signing 2-Year Deal

Managers are now making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsene Wenger is eyeing several players from Ligue 1…

Arsenal are eyeing a number of French players as Arsene Wenger prepares to oversee a huge squad overhaul after signing a new two-year contract extension, according to the Evening Standard.

Wenger ended speculation over his future after the club announced earlier today that the boss has signed a new two-year contract and he’ll now be backed heavily in the transfer market this summer.

Despite missing out on Champions League football for the first time in 20 years, the Evening Standard claim Wenger will be given at least £100m plus any money raised from sales to reshape his squad with.

The boss is planning to strengthen in a number of areas with a goalkeeper, a central midfielder, a winger and a top class striker among Wenger’s priorities over the coming weeks.

It looks like Wenger is ready to raid his home country for talent as the Evening Standard name several French international’s as being on the bosses hit-list with Alexandre Lacazette a prime target.

The striker has just come off the back of another prolific campaign that saw him score 37 goals in all competitions and Wenger is seemingly ready to renew his interest having been linked with the 26-year-old several times in the past.

Lacazette would be a superb addition as he’d give us a real goal threat up front but I fear out lack of Champions League football could prove decisive in any potential negotiations.

Another high profile target named by the newspaper is Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe with Wenger apparently eyeing an ambitious move for the French wonderkid.

Wenger has publicly confirmed his admiration for the teenager and revealed that he tried to sign Mbappe last summer but he opted to remain at Monaco for at least another season.

It turned out to be a wise move as the 18-year-old scored 26 goals in all competitions to help Monaco win the Ligue 1 title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

That form has attracted interest from practically every big club in Europe and Monaco are reportedly demanding a world record fee to cash-in this summer so I don’t see how we’re going to compete for his signature.

Perhaps a more realistic target could be Moussa Dembele with the Evening Standard suggesting that Wenger is also eyeing a move for the Celtic hotshot this summer after watching him score 32 times last season.

We’ll still face plenty of competition for the French Under-21 international but I think we’ve got more chance of landing Dembele than the likes of Lacazette or Mbappe this summer.

If the likes of Sanchez and Lucas Perez leave then we’re going to need to bring in a left-sided attacker and the report claims that Monaco’s Thomas Lemar is among Wenger’s targets.

The 21-year-old is another French international and has just enjoyed a superb campaign with Monaco that saw him score 14 goals and provide 17 assists so he would be an exciting addition to the squad.

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In midfield, the Evening Standard say that Juventus’s Mario Lemina is being considered while Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is also seemingly a target to replace David Ospina – who’s set to leave for Turkey over the coming weeks.

So it looks like it’s going to be a busy summer at the Emirates with plenty of in-comings and outgoings but now that Wenger is confirmed as the man to oversee it all, let’s hope the club push ahead with our transfer plans and don’t leave it until the final days of the window.