Arsenal are working on deals to sign Real Madrid attacking pair Karim
Benzema and Angel Di Maria.
The Gunners are prepared to pay £40m for 25-year-old France striker
Benzema after missing out on Gonzalo Higuain and Liverpool's Luis
Suarez.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger also wants Argentina left-winger Di Maria, 25,
and is understood to be chasing a keeper and a defender as well.
The Londoners won 3-0 at Fenerbahce in the
Champions League on Wednesday.
It means they are in control of the qualifying
play-off tie heading into the second leg at
Emirates Stadium on 27 August and should
they reach the Champions League group stage
for a 16th consecutive season, it could help
attract transfer targets to the club.
Wenger is a long-term admirer of Benzema,
who joined Real from Lyon for an initial £30m
in 2009, while Di Maria arrived at
the Bernabeu
from Benfica a year later.
Arsenal's only summer signing to date is the
20-year-old French striker Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer from Auxerre,
but it is thought they could spend close to £100m by the close of the
transfer window at 23:00 BST on 2 September.
Speaking after his side's win at Fenerbahce in their Champions League
qualifying play-off first leg, Wenger admitted the pursuit of Suarez was
over after Liverpool rejected two bids for their Uruguay forward and
insisted he was not for sale.
"Absolutely no chance of that," Wenger said about the chances of Suarez
arriving at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have also had a £10m offer for
Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye turned
down, but Wenger suggested the final 12 days
of the transfer window would be busy.
Arsenal lost at home to Aston Villa on the
opening day of the Premier League season
and have suffered injuries to Mikel Arteta,
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent
Koscielny, while Abou Diaby remains sidelined
and fellow midfielder Jack Wilshere is still
returning to full match fitness.
"Quality wise we do not need, but numbers
wise we are short," Wenger continued.
"We lost Arteta and Diaby. We are without
three international midfielders. We will try and bring one in but we are
working on that. What you have to understand is that there is still a long
way to go.
"The transfer market really starts now, a lot of activity will happen between
now and 2 September. We have 12 days. A lot will happen. It starts now."
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