Transfer Rumors: Arsenal Interested in Riyad Mahrez & Mauro Icardi in Bid to Bolster Offense
To address Arsenal's goal drought as of late, Arsene Wenger hopes to add more scoring threats to the team.
So far, the Stamford Bridge squad has only scored once in four matches in the new season courtesy of Olivier Giroud. Nonetheless, Arsenal has managed to tally a winning slate of two wins, one loss and one partly because of two unsolicited goals by Crystal Palace's Damien Delaney and Newcastle's Fabricio Coloccini as reported by The Independent.
However, Wenger surely knows his side can't rely on these blunders every time. The 65-year old French manager is open to the possibility of signing additional stat sheet stuffers to his side before the transfer window closes on Tuesday evening.
"If we find any exceptional player in any sector, we will do it. At the moment, I don't know if something will happen or not. We're working on it; I'm not any more or less optimistic than I was last week. You always want more goal-scorers, but it's unpredictable," Metro quoted Wenger saying.
The Arsenal boss might be alluding to Leicester City winger, Riyad Mahrez. Wenger has confirmed interest in the 24-year-old Algerian after recent efforts to bring in French striker, Kingsley Coman, failed. Coman joined Bayern Munich on a two-year deal from Juventus over the weekend.
Mahrez will be a considerable upgrade for the Stamford Bridge squad, but Leicester City manager, Claudio Ranieri, insists his mercurial midfielder isn't for sale.
According to The Independent, Ranieri announced to potential trade partners that bidding for Mahrez would be a waste of time.
"We don't sell him so there is no price. We won't sell him so it's much better if they don't ask. I look at Riyad when we don't have the ball, I'm trying to help him become the complete player, that is my job," he said.
Ranieri believes Mahrez is constantly improving but can still grow his game more as he is still in his mid-twenties.
As for Wenger and company, they can't seem to catch a break in their efforts to land added attackers. A recent report claimed that Arsenal's recent pursuit has gone dry once again.
Italian newsman Emanuele Giulianelli suggested on Twitter that similar to the Gunners' botched deals for Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavani, Mauro Icardi's current team is adamant about not selling the striker. Inter Milan has rejected Arsenal's £32 million for the 22-year-old Argentinean.
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