Arsenal Transfer News: Mauro Icardi Speaks Amid Gunners Bid Talk, Latest Rumours

Mauro Icardi will likely turn down any offers to lure him away from Inter Milan, with Arsenal preparing a €50 million (£41.8 million) bid, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Edo Dalmonte of Calciomercato.com).

The Argentinian striker has become Inter's main creative threat in the previous two campaigns, and despite the club securing disappointing eighth- and fourth-place finishes in Serie A in 2014-15 and 2015-16, respectively, Icardi is eager to stay on at the San Siro.

BT Sport's Italian football expert James Horncastle published quotes from the 23-year-old Rosario-born forward on Twitter, with Icardi telling Corriere dello Sport he was intent on remaining with the club:

Per WhoScored.com, the Nerazzurri attacker has netted 38 league goals over the last two years, but the team's overall performances have failed to match his sublime individual displays.

OptaPaolo provided the statistics to show Icardi's impressive strike rate following his first century of appearances in April:

Blessed with a powerful ball-striking ability, useful holdup play and adaptability in the air, Icardi has proved himself to be alongside the world's top strikers in recent times following his premature exit from La Liga giants Barcelona in 2011.

Commentator Adam Summerton was impressed with what he saw from Icardi last year in an underperforming Inter side:

Per Soccerway, he was handed his only Argentina cap in 2013 in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. Despite his lack of international exposure, potential suitors remain interested, and none more so than Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, per Dalmonte.

The Gunners are reportedly lining up a significant bid in order to enhance their attacking options, with France international Olivier Giroud coming under increased scrutiny for his lacklustre showing in front of goal last year.

Per Sean Kearns of Metro, Icardi's wife and representative, Wanda Icardi, was in London on Wednesday for what was believed to be contract talks with Arsenal. 

Calciomercato.com reported the agent was "ready to travel" to meet the Gunners, but the location on her latest tweet suggested she was already in the English capital:

Another Serie A-based Argentinian attacker linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium is Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain, per Tom Dutton of the Evening Standard.

President Aurelio De Laurentiis has admitted the club are preparing to make significant headway in the market and said Napoli are considering allowing Higuain to depart the Stadio San Paolo. 

Per Dutton, he said:  

"

We're working on various areas of the pitch. 

We're after [Massimo] Donati and 10 others. We need a right-back - maybe it'd be better to have someone who can play either side - then we need one or two midfielders.

Then we'll see if we'll need a replacement for Higuain or not. Even without Higuain, we came second in 2013.

"

Higuain inspired his side to the runners-up spot in 2015-16 after a historic feat. The 28-year-old broke a longstanding Italian goalscoring record during the campaign as he became the first player to score 36 goals in Serie A—topping Gunnar Nordahl's tally from the 1949-50 season, per ESPN FC.

Take a look at the video below as Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe discusses the best possible destinations for the former Real Madrid frontman during this summer transfer window:

Higuain's future at Napoli is yet to be resolved, with Arsenal facing competition from Italy's league- and cup-holders Juventus for the prolific striker, per Sacha Pisani of Goal.com.

According to WhoScored.com, Arsenal's first-choice forward Giroud scored 16 goals in 26 league starts last term. His figures could decrease notably should Wenger sign either Icardi or Higuain.