Arsenal to offer Wenger new deal as they prepare bids for £19m defender and £20m Premier League man

The Mirror are reporting that Arsenal are ready to offer wily old Frenchman Arsene Wenger as they continue to fend off interest from French money-bags Paris Saint-Germain. The Ligue 1 champions have appointed former France manager and Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc on a year's rolling deal as they are aware that Wenger has just 15 months left on his current deal at the Emirates, therefore avoiding a pay-off to either party should they strike a deal with him next summer.

The same paper are reporting that the capital club are ready to part with £13m for £19m-rated Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, which will put Gunners on alert regarding the future of both Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny who have been linked away this summer.

Papadopoulos played just 10 Bundesliga games last season due to injury but during those he did play he made 10 defensive actions per game (average). The 21-year-old has been targeted by numerous Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea, but it is thought that Arsenal could be his potential destination as they look to push for the title next year.

At the other end of the field, the Daily Mail are reporting that a move for Wayne Rooney is still on the cards, despite the fact that they are on the cusp of securing a £22m move for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. Rooney bagged 12 league goals last year and is thought to be Wenger's preferred piece to the puzzle to play alongside the aforementioned Higuain, Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, although the latter is still referred to as a winger.   

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