Arsenal is at the cusp of being an offensive juggernaut and they might be one striker removed from being among the European elites, before this transfer window ends.

The club is rumored to be pursuing Real Madrid's Karim Benzema to play alongside forward Alexis Sánchez.

After Los Blancos rejected Arsenal's previous bid of £31 million, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is willing to increase the club's bid to £35 million for the French striker.

A report from Metro even stated that Arsenal is ready to shed £40 million, if that is what it takes to bring in Benzema.

The Gunners' manager, who also happens to be French, is not at all daunted by the staggering figure as he has $300 million to spend for re-enforcements, NBC Sports reported.

For his part, Benzema has not downplayed recent transfer talks regarding himself. On the contrary, his recent Instagram post has only managed to heighten speculations.

Benzema can be seen in what looks to be a private jet. Nothing conspicuous, right? Wrong. Bear in mind his current club Real Madrid is in China for a pre-season tour.

What is the French striker doing away from his team? Closing in on a transfer deal, perhaps.

More importantly, where is he flying to? London, maybe.

The image itself is worth a few questions but the real clincher is in its caption.

According to ESPN, the caption translates to "Let the past remain the past" while the hashtag reads "#lookingtothefuture."

Meanwhile, Wenger remained testy when asked about his club's potential blockbuster signing.

"I don't rule it out and I don't promise it," he told reporters ahead of the Community Shield meeting with Chelsea on August 2. "As I said recently in the press conferences, if we can still strengthen, we will do it. But we have what is needed inside to be competitive, so let's first focus on that."

All that being said, a French-connection in Emirates Stadium is not just a pipe dream.

Another player on Wenger's radar is FC Barcelona defender Sergio Busquets.

According to Spanish publication Sport, Wenger already has Francis Conquelin as his midfield defender yet Busquets is arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world. On top of that, he has won every esteemed football trophy in both club and international levels.

Although Busquets has stayed mum on whether or not he plans to stay or leave Barca, the Gunners are enamored with the thought of upgrading their defense with the 27-year-old.

It also would not hurt Arsenal to know that they have the financial means to acquire him.