Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Reportedly Want Max Meyer If Jack Wilshere Leaves

Arsenal will reportedly rival AC Milan to sign Schalke 04 midfielder Max Meyer this summer if Jack Wilshere does not agree a new deal.

Wilshere's contract expires at the end of the season, but the Gunners have a good chance to land Meyer, despite interest from Serie A, per Calciomercato.com's Kaustubh Pandey, who wrote: "Meyer might prefer a move to the Premier League and Arsenal are also said to be interested in him and could make a move if Jack Wilshere doesn't extend his stay at the Emirates for next season."

The future of Wilshere is beginning to dominate Arsenal's news cycles.

Fellow Premier League side Everton "are willing to offer Wilshere a big signing-on bonus—and a deal in excess of the £80,000 per week the Gunners are currently offering," according to Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful the England international will stay beyond the summer, per BBC Sport: "On my side, nothing has changed. Jack will be free at the end of the season. We have made a proposal to him and I want him to stay and be linked with the club for the future. I hope he will do it."

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Wenger's words read like a hint the ball is firmly in Wilshere's court in terms of whether to agree fresh terms with the Gunners. Any caution on Arsenal's side is understandable give the midfielder's lengthy history of injuries.

Struggles to stay fit and achieve consistency when on the pitch saw Wilshere loaned to Bournemouth for the 2016/17 season. His time away yielded mixed success, but the 26-year-old has taken steps forward since returning to north London.

Wilshere has used the playing time offered by Arsenal's participation in the UEFA Europa League to his advantage. He has impressed, particularly as an advanced No. 10, the role he played in Arsenal's 2-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro on March 8.

After the game, Wilshere spoke about his future to James Olley of the London Evening Standard: "Yeah, but things have changed since then and all I can tell you is that we are no closer to sorting anything out."

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Letting Wilshere go for free would mean Wenger losing one of the most technically gifted players in his squad. The Gunners aren't short of midfield maestros, with Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the fold, although Aaron Ramsey's contract expires in 2019.

The possibility of losing Wilshere's quality makes sense of the interest in Meyer. He's another midfielder defined by vision and flair.

Meyer has also been on the Gunners' radar for a while. On February 7, Calciomercato's Daniele Longo reported Arsenal and Liverpool were leading the Rossoneri in the race for the 22-year-old.

The Gunners were also credited with wanting to sign Meyer late in the January transfer window, per German publication Bild (h/t Football.London's Tashan Deniran-Alleyne).

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Meyer can pick a pass and find space to exploit between the lines. Yet there is a little more to him, notably physicality, as he's more at ease with the uglier side of the game than many of Arsenal's options in the middle.

His blend of attributes has seen Meyer operate everywhere for Schalke, from a No. 10 to a holding role.

As a versatile technician who can play in a variety of positions in midfield, he would be an ideal replacement for Wilshere, who might also be best served calling time on his Arsenal career.