Arsenal Transfer News: Latest N'Golo Kante and Nabil Fekir Rumours

Arsene Wenger has lavished praise on N'Golo Kante amid recent reports from France stating the Arsenal manager is ready to bid for the Leicester City holding midfielder.

Speaking to the BeIN Sports Euro Show (h/t Get French Football News), Wenger had this to say about one of the stars of Leicester's unlikely Premier League title win:

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I admire and like N’Golo Kante a lot. It gives you ideas... He gives you the feeling that the higher the level he plays at, the more at ease he is. We are talking about numbers. He has the most interceptions in Europe [and] by far. He has incredible quality. He feels the game, only very few people can do that. He’s always where he needs to be. It is very rare to have that in the central midfielder. Not always orthodox, but always in the right place.

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There's no denying Kante boasts attributes Wenger would welcome in his current squad. In fact, the Arsenal chief has been tipped to make a move for the energetic 25-year-old.

French publication L'Equipe (h/t Get French Football News) recently reported the Gunners "will take action immediately" toward buying Kante, with a bid of as much as €40 million mooted. The same article also concluded Kante "prefers a move to Arsenal," despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

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The former are reportedly prepared to triple Kante's salary to ward off interest from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, according to Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror.

Premier League hopes appeared further boosted when Jordan Blackwell of the Leicester Mercury also cited L'Equipe stating the player does not view a return to the French top flight as a "top priority."

Unlike Chelsea, the Gunners can offer UEFA Champions League football next season. Wenger is also not the only Arsenal man who has been on a charm offensive aimed at Kante.

Gunners centre-back Laurent Koscielny talked up his France international team-mate's qualities, per MailOnline's Rory Brigstock-Barron: "For his first season in England... he showed he was one of the [league's] great midfielders. He intercepted a lot of balls, he can (play) box to box, make assists. He's very quiet, very calm, he's in his own little world but when he is on the field, he is able to put pressure on his opponents."

Having already signed Swiss midfield powerhouse Granit Xhaka, Wenger could complete a necessary makeover of Arsenal's options in the middle by signing Kante. Together, Kante and Xhaka would give the Gunners the solid base they've lacked since Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva bossed midfield.

That kind of power in the middle would supply Wenger's squad with the mettle to sustain a title challenge.

Lyon Ready to Sell Nabil Fekir

If Wenger still wants another quality ballplayer in the final third, he's likely to react favourably to news from France regarding Nabil Fekir. Lyon are reportedly prepared to cash in on the crafty winger, according to French source Le10Sport (h/t talkSPORT.com).

The sale is said to depend on if a suitor "stumps up enough cash." But the Gunners may be tempted to do just that for the playmaker also wanted by PSG.

Arsenal were heavily linked with Fekir in early 2015, per Steve Goodman of the Mirror. Meanwhile, back in February this year, L'Equipe (h/t Sport Witness) again credited the Gunners with interest.

Wenger's current squad is hardly short of expert possession players with Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. Yet, that hasn't stopped Arsenal being linked with Borussia Dortmund No. 10 Henrikh Mkhitaryan, per the Guardian's David Hytner and Fabrizio Romano.

But Norwegian journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft appeared to pour cold water on those rumours when he reported Arsenal now face Premier League competition for the Armenian maestro:

If Wenger doesn't fancy a scrap with Manchester United for Mkhitaryan, he may opt for 22-year-old Fekir, a supremely gifted creative presence in attacking areas.

Arsenal did struggle at times last season when Ozil was forced to carry the creative burden with Cazorla injured. Adding another playmaker would be a smart move given Wenger's adherence to expansive, attractive football.

Yet, all that free-flowing attacking needs to be underpinned by a secure foundation. Putting Kante alongside Xhaka would provide Arsenal with the base for major success next season.