Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Arturo Vidal and Ki Sung-Yeung Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly keen to bolster their midfield as they close in on deals for Juventus star Arturo Vidal and Swansea's Ki Sung-Yeung.

Per Bruce Archer of the Express, a £25 million move to bring Vidal to north London has been agreed, according to Argentinian journalist Hernan Feler.

Following Arsenal's record 12th FA Cup triumph on Saturday, Arsene Wenger reaffirmed that he will be looking to strengthen in the transfer window but denied Vidal was a target for the Gunners.

Per Nick Howson of the International Business Times, he said:

"

We will see what is going on in the transfer market. We have a good basis and we have some time now to prepare now because we don't have to play a qualifier in the Champions League.

We have a good confidence now. Let's show that we can be intelligent in the summer.

Arturo Vidal? We have good midfielders and at the moment we are not looking at Arturo Vidal.

"

Despite his claims, Wenger may be keeping his cards close to his chest in order to help secure Vidal's signature. Certainly, he would make an important addition to the team.

While Arsenal are indeed blessed with a wealth of talent in midfield, they lack a strong, defensively-minded player who can dominate in the centre of the pitch and break up the opposition's play.

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Francis Coquelin has performed this role admirably this season, but it remains to be seen whether he is the long term-solution to Arsenal's problem on the back of just half a campaign with the first team.

By contrast, Vidal is the proven, finished article with international pedigree having featured for Chile 63 times. 

ESPN's Mina Rzouki is critical of Vidal, believing him to be in decline:

Nevertheless, Vidal has netted eight times and assisted four in all competitions this season.

More importantly for Arsenal, the 28-year-old's defensive contribution remains a strong feature of his game.

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According to Squawka, Vidal has won 74 tackles and 50 per cent of his headed duels in Serie A this season, as well as a further 43 tackles and 58 per cent of headed duels in the Champions League.

Coquelin has shown glimpses of a fine defensive midfielder this season, but should he suffer an injury or his form turn out to be simply a purple patch, Arsenal would be back to square one in terms of midfield solidity.

The Juventus man would surely be guaranteed a starting berth, as well as adding great strength in depth to the Gunners' side.

A less high-profile but likely cheaper alternative to Vidal would be Ki.

According to John Richardson of the Express, Ki is a target for Wenger and could be secured with a bid between £12 and £15 million.

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Ki enjoyed a successful season with the Swans, helping them to a record points total in the Premier League and winning their Supporters' Player of the Year award to boot:

Per Squawka, the Korean scored eight times in the Premier League, as well as winning 53 per cent of his duels and maintaining an incredibly impressive 90 per cent passing accuracy, well above Arsenal's 84 per cent average.

The 26-year-old has shown he deserves a chance to prove himself at a higher level, and Arsenal would benefit from the combative midfielder's services.

Despite scoring only two fewer goals and conceding just four more than champions Chelsea, Arsenal finished 12 points behind the Blues in the league.

With the added solidity that Vidal or Ki could provide, the Gunners would be more capable of grinding out the efficient, occasionally "ugly" wins that characterised the latter half of Chelsea's campaign that are so crucial to achieving title success.

Securing either player would be an excellent start to Arsenal's summer activity, and it would allow them to build strongly on a successful season.