Players who have been strongly linked with summer moves to the Emirates Stadium and the likelihood of each respective deal to become a reality.
Stevan Jovetic
If you believe some reports you’d imagine this deal is already done and dusted and it does seem a distinct possibility that such a move could come to fruition.
The 23 year old ticks alot of Arsene Wenger ‘boxes’. He’s young, comfortable on the ball, adaptable and a well known player who is still to become a ‘household’ name.
Fiorentina want a big sum by all accounts and that may be the only significant obstacle to this move going ahead. It’s been suggested that Wenger will have a large sum to play with this summer but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to fork out £25m+ on one single player.
Jovetic has had two solid seasons playing up front for Fiorentina, scoring 27 goals in 55 starts.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 9/10
Cesc Fabregas
A romantic return to the Emirates Stadium, but how likely is it?
For Arsenal fans the heart may say ‘Yes’ but the head almost certainly shouts out ‘No’. The 25 year old hasn’t had a great time of it since returning to Barcelona but he will have known that his place in the starting eleven was not guaranteed.
The midfielder plays most of the time but has missed some of the club’s crucial fixtures, however Fabregas knows full well that he is being groomed to take over from Xavi and it seems highly unlikely he would consider a return back to Arsenal because to do so would mean admitting defeat.
Also one would have to wonder just how he would fit in back at Arsenal, where central midfield options are bountiful.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 2/10
Ashley Williams
Arsene Wenger may well feel the need to beef up his defensive options but, no disrespect meant to the Swansea City defender, Ashley Williams isn’t as good as the three centre-backs the Arsenal boss currently has to choose from, namely Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen.
With Johan Djourou and Sebastian Squillaci likely to leave this summer any back-up would more than likely entail the purchasing of a young pretender and not a 28 year old with two seasons of Premier League experience.
Williams would actually be better off continuing to improve at the Liberty Stadium under Michael Laudrup as any potential move to the North London club would certainly involve a fair bit of bench warming.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 3/10
David Villa
Arsene Wenger’s interest in David Villa was very time specific. It seemed that the Arsenal boss was willing to ignore his usual youthful transfer policy in the January transfer window as he considered bringing in a player to boost his attack.
A move didn’t pan out and it seems highly unlikely the Arsenal boss will look to re-visit the situation, though that isn’t to say Villa couldn’t make a real impact at the club it just seems that Wenger will have time and space to look for the best striking options available to him over the summer and a move for the Spaniard may well be out of the question now.
It is worth noting that Barcelona seem to, for some unknown reason, be willing to persist with Alexis Sanchez as a supporting striker to Lionel Messi, despite the fact that not only is David Villa a far more effective attacking foil he is also a much more reliable big game player.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 4/10
Iker Casillas
Yes Arsenal could do with a new keeper but any Gunners fan who thinks that the Real Madrid man could be at the club next season may need to have their heads examined.
The one club man may well have had a few too many run-ins with Jose Mourinho but that doesn’t mean he will leave the Bernabeu this summer.
The Spanish international World Cup winner is in all likelihood going nowhere, if he were to leave it would almost certainly be to join a side that can challenge for major honours, he knows nothing different and is unlikely to want the ‘challenge’ of trying to qualify for the Champions League every season.
Also with Mourinho set to be on his way Casillas will soon be between the sticks at the Bernabeu again.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 0/10
Victor Valdes
For Iker Casillas, read Victor Valdes.
Though the Nou Camp man has made it clear he wants to leave, and has just over a year to run on his current Barcelona deal, it would again be a big surprise if Wenger even made an offer for the experienced Spaniard.
The player’s wages would certainly make him one of the club’s top earners, especially as his market value will have decreased because of his contractual situation.
One wonders what lies behind Valdes’s very public statement of intent to leave Barcelona, sounds very much like a cry for help, or more money, or perhaps both.
Too good a keeper for the Catalan side to just let go, expect a new deal on the table early in the summer.
Above all else bringing in Valdes would basically mean that Wenger had given up on Wojciech Szczesny, which is something the French boss may not be ready to admit.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 1/10
Nicolas N’Koulou
The young Marseille defender is perhaps a very realistic defensive addition. The 23 year old Cameroon international has had a standout season and may well be tempted by a move to the North London club.
Unlike the aforementioned Williams, the player is younger than the trio of centre-back options Wenger currently has and N’Koulou is in the form of his career and could perhaps be picked up for a decent, and not inflated, price-tag.
A young enough defender to be willing to sit on the bench and wait for his chance and experienced enough to keep Arsenal’s first choices on their collective toes.
With Marseille looking good for Champions League qualification though Arsenal would have to be able to offer a berth in the competition to convince the defender to leave the South of France.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 7/10
Etienne Capoue
Arsenal’s lengthy search for a defensive midfielder could well eventually lead to the Toulouse battler and it’s perhaps a deal that is long overdue.
Wenger hasn’t replaced Alex Song, who left for Barcelona last summer, and that lack of midfield bite has been there for all to see, especially in the first half of the season.
The 24 year old has broken into the French national team less than a year ago, a high-profile move could help in his pursuit of a spot in Didier Deschamps World Cup squad in 2014.
The one club man would almost certainly jump at the chance of a move to Arsenal and he wouldn’t cost a great deal. Despite Wenger’s apparently bulky ‘transfer war-chest’ he will still have an eye for a bargain.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 8/10
Alex Song
Former Arsenal man has struggled for playing time at Barcelona, but he must known this would be the case. It seems unlikely he would seek to quit the Nou Camp, not after (in all likelihood) collecting a La Liga crown.
Whilst Song has thus far failed to unseat Sergio Busquets as Barcelona’s first choice defensive midfielder he will also know that there isn’t much strength in depth in the position, meaning he is only one step away from getting Tito Vilanova’s attention.
One of the reasons Song will have left Arsenal is perhaps the sense that he couldn’t fulfill his ambitions at the North London club and there is seemingly no evidence to suggest he was wrong in that assessment.
Any Arsenal return, however unlikely, would happen a few years down the road.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 3/10
Loic Remy
Perhaps the most likely deal of the lot.
Arsene Wenger was apparently unwilling to meet Marseille’s asking price in January but the French international’s move to QPR proved that he was able to make a fist of it in the English top tier. His five goals in 11 matches may not have kept the Loftus Road side up but it’s a sign of what he is capable of.
The 26 year old is said to have an £8m release clause, and that’s the kind of price that will be music to Wenger’s ears. He hasn’t lost faith in Olivier Giroud and may think that a big money signing could lead to the former Montpellier man losing confidence whilst a move to bring in a player like Remy could help drive him on to succeed.
Wenger has been linked with interest in Remy dating back to his time at Nice and there really isn’t a more likely time for his long awaited move to Arsenal than this summer.
Indeed the Arsenal boss may well have held off on making a move for Remy knowing that relegation for QPR was on the cards.
Likelihood of Arsenal summer move: 10/10