Arsenal’s superb new-look XI if they complete transfer raids on Real Madrid and Barcelona in bid to replace Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil

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The future could still be bright for Arsenal!

Arsenal face some uncertainty this January or next summer, with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil looking set to cause Arsene Wenger a major headache in the transfer market.

The Gunners pair are heading towards the ends of their contracts at the Emirates Stadium, and could either leave for cut-price fees in the middle of this season or on free transfers in the summer.

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Either way, Arsenal will need to bring in big names to replace the world class duo, with Sanchez in particular proving a crucial member of Wenger’s side in the last few seasons.

The Daily Mirror claim Arsenal can expect Manchester City to come back in for Sanchez in January, while the Independent have linked Manchester United as potential shock suitors for Ozil.

If speculation elsewhere is to be believed, Arsenal may already have their replacements in mind.

Arda Turan being eyed by Arsenal?

According to recent reports from CNN Turkey, Arsenal are interested in out-of-favour Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan, who seems a like-for-like replacement for Ozil if the German does end up moving on.

While the Turkey international has struggled to get his Barca career up and running, he is a proven talent after shining at previous club Atletico Madrid to earn his big move to the Nou Camp.

Arsenal could certainly do far worse than Turan if they want to add both experience and creativity to their ranks in the near future.

Karim Benzema to fill Alexis Sanchez void?

Meanwhile, reports today from Don Balon have listed Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema as a new priority target for Wenger to take the place of the unsettled Sanchez.

The France international has had a great career at the Bernabeu but no longer seems to be untouchable in the minds of manager Zinedine Zidane and president Florentino Perez.

Still, he could surely do a job for Arsenal, even if he isn’t an identical style of player to Sanchez.

Here’s a look at how the Gunners could line up if they do bring the pair in as their chosen replacements for Sanchez and Ozil…

It remains to be seen if Wenger would stick with his current 3-4-3 system with these two coming in, and it arguably looks like Turan and Benzema would fit in best in something closer to a 4-3-3.

That would allow Turan to sit at the top of a midfield three, while Benzema could drift in from out wide to join Alexandre Lacazette as a kind of second striker.

The 29-year-old has often played a similar role to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, but would of course also be ready to take up his preferred centre-forward spot when needed, giving Wenger the option to rotate between two top class options.

Still, there’s clearly work to do in that Arsenal squad, with players like Granit Xhaka and Theo Walcott among those Wenger should certainly be looking to replace before too long.

More Stories Alexis Sanchez Arda Turan Arsene Wenger Karim Benzema Mesut Ozil