Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Reacts to Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has ruled out spending "stratospheric" money on players such as Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal during the summer.

The French boss was quizzed on his interest in such stars after Arsenal lifted the FA Cup on Saturday. Pogba is linked to the club by Sam Wallace of the Independent, and he is likely to cost close to a world-record fee of £85 million when he eventually leaves Juventus, money Wenger has never come close to dropping on a single acquisition.

He doesn't plan to compete with clubs such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea for the absolute elite, reported by John Cross of the Mirror: 

"

We have not spent that kind of money. People forget that for years we had to sell our best players and that was a very difficult period. That is the reality.

Since we started to buy again, we have slowly come back to a more competitive level. But you speak maybe about stratospheric numbers where we will not be involved.

Not at that level. For financial reasons. It’s simple. I do not want to tell you how much money we have. But I have not made a clear decision yet for what I will do.

"

Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images

Wenger also batted away a question asking whether he will opt to sign Pogba's team-mate Vidal, per Oliver Kay of the Times:

Although the boss admits he is "not against spending money," per Cross, he suggests the Gunners will work on a slightly less lavish level to their aforementioned competitors.

Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images

Wenger lured Mesut Ozil from Madrid for £42.5 million two years ago, while last season's summer was defined by the approximate £35 million transfer of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona.

Ozil's form continues to range from extremely disappointing to tremendous, but Sanchez's quality recently defined Arsenal's run to third in the Premier League and their FA Cup win.

So often Wenger's squads have been packed with quality, but missing one or two key stars to make the step toward landing silverware. Two FA Cup wins in two seasons is excellent, but Arsenal should be competing for the domestic title and putting together stronger runs through the Champions League.

Wenger is right to dot his team with players of Ozil and Sanchez's quality, but needs more if he's to ever win the English title again.

The Frenchman's unwavering belief in players such as Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott is admirable, but too long he's let Arsenal suffer with obvious deficiencies in midfield and attack.

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Individuals such as Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and others could be moved on to make room for players who could make a difference. B/R UK's James McNicholas recently looked at other candidates to be sold:

Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin, Borussia Dortmund's Ilkay Gundogan and Chelsea's Petr Cech have all been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, reported by Bruce Archer of the Daily Star and Matt Law of the Telegraph respectively. None would cost a "stratospheric" amount, but all could provide the impact needed to take Arsenal to the next level.

Wenger is right to set the expectations of Arsenal fans straight before securing summer reinforcements. He will be looking for quality, no doubt, but is happy to admit the world's most expensive stars may be off the club's radar for some time.

As we've seen over the last two seasons, clever investment in the right area makes a huge difference for the north London side.