Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Geoffrey Kondogbia, Lukas Podolski Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has "talked" with Monaco midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia over a potential switch to the Emirates Stadium.

David Amoyal, who writes on behalf of GianlucaDiMarzio.com, suggests the Gunners have joined two Serie A sides in the chase to land Kondogbia: "Inter and Milan are both competing to sign him, but now face competition from Arsenal. Wenger holds Kondogbia in high regard, the two have already talked."

The Daily Star's Marc Williams cites the same report, but notes Juventus are also "tracking" the player.

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Kondogbia is a midfield powerhouse who enjoyed a dominant 2014-15 season with Monaco. His most notable performances came in the Champions League, defined by a goal and commanding performance against Arsenal in north London.

Amoyal rated the 22-year-old's performances against Juve, who flaunt Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba in the centre:

Wenger's defensive midfield needs have been sated somewhat by the emergence of Francis Coquelin, but it won't be long before the French boss needs greater options in this area. At 33 years old, Mikel Arteta is losing his influence, while Mathieu Flamini doesn't possess the quality to lead a charge toward silverware.

Added to this, the eternally injured Abou Diaby recently appeared on the club's release list (although this is subject to change), according to the Premier League's official website. As such, it makes sense to sign an individual of Kondogbia's physical, combative standing before the new season begins.

He averaged 3.1 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per match across 23 Ligue 1 appearances during the recently concluded campaign, per WhoScored.com. Alongside this, he maintained a passing accuracy of 86.1 percent, the kind of stats which suggest Kondogbia could patrol Arsenal's midfield while distributing to the forward line.

B/R UK's Jonathan Johnson recently discussed whether the former Sevilla midfielder can be considered an upgrade over Coquelin:

Wenger will be looking to refresh his squad by moving unneeded players on. Nobody fits this category more obviously than German forward Lukas Podolski, who spent the latter half of last season enduring a difficult loan spell with Inter.

Darren Lewis of the Mirror reports Podolski "is poised to sign for Galatasaray" in a deal worth £1.4 million. His agent Ali Pektas recently told Fanatik (h/t London Evening Standard) that Galatasaray have made their interest known before:

"

Last summer he could have moved to Galatasaray, but it never materialised. Every summer Lukas and I go on holiday to Turkey.

[...] With regard to his future, all I can say is that anything could happen, even a transfer to Turkey. Why not? He appreciates (Turkish football) a lot, and he wants to keep playing at a high level.

"

Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images

Podolski offered very little at Arsenal or Inter during 14-15, scoring five and providing one assist in 34 appearances, recorded by WhoScored.

Wenger must capitalise on all the squad room afforded to him if Arsenal are going to compete for the Premier League title. Players of Kondogbia's ilk—confident, hungry and improving—can make a genuine difference to the side's prospects.

Two FA Cup wins in as many years is excellent for Arsenal, but the biggest prizes continue to elude them. Shipping those who are surplus to requirements away and landing top-quality fresh blood should be Wenger's main objective for the summer.