Arsenal boss planning £55m raid on EPL duo

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly prepared to spend a combined fee of £55m for the services of Riyad Mahrez and Ben Gibson this summer.

The Gunners have endured a tough campaign in the Premier League this season, but they still stand a chance of making the top four, should one of Liverpool and Manchester City slip in the final games of the campaign.

According to The Express, the long-standing manager remains committed to the north London club despite protests, and he will ink a new extension at the end of the season.

It is added that the 67-year-old has already made up his shortlist for the next transfer window with Leicester’s Mahrez and Middlesbrough’s Gibson on the list.

Mahrez, 26, was heavily tipped for a Emirates move at the start of the campaign, but he opted to knock back their advances for a long-term extension in East Midlands.

He has since struggled to replicate his showing from the previous season, and a move away looks a possibility with Paris Saint-Germain also keen on his services.

Boro centre-back Gibson has also been linked with the north London club after their scouting team made a thorough assessment of the player’s progress in the top flight.

With the Riverside outfit no longer in the top division, the Gunners are lining up a £25m offer in order to prise away the club captain, who could emerge as a key player for England in the future.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger’s side are planning a bid of around £30m for Mahrez, £5m less than what they had offered during the last summer transfer window.

The Gunners are currently just outside the top-four of the Premier League after they clinched their first-ever win at Stoke City via a 4-1 thrashing of Mark Hughes’ team on Saturday.

The victory puts them in a decent position to attain Champions League qualification, should Liverpool fail to secure all three points against West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

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