Arsenal appear to be interested in signing Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho. Various reports across England and France have linked the two together, and it could be that Wenger pursues the Portuguese midfielder after missing out on his No 1 target Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United.

According to reports, Moutinho has been told he can leave Monaco this summer. This comes after the club decided to offload their most valuable assets in order to drop the inflated wage bill.

The 28-year-old has been a key member of the Portuguese set-up for most of his career, making 80 appearances for his country. He started out at Sporting Lisbon before making a move to Porto where he became one of the most sought after stars in his position. His big money move to Monaco has seen him make a big impact in Ligue 1, and interested clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United.

According to Metro, Monaco are going through a big period of cost cutting. In the last 12 months the likes of James Rodriguez, Falcao and Dimitar Berbatov have walked out the door, and now it seems Joao Moutinho will follow. Reports in Portugal say the midfielder has been put up for sale, and with Arsenal’s apparent interest in signing a holding midfielder, this could be their man.

No fee has been quoted as yet, and the Gunners apparently face competition with the likes of Zenit and his former club Porto to sign the midfielder. It remains to be seen where the player will end up, but one things for sure, he’d be a brilliant addition to the ever-growing Arsenal squad that are fiercely competing for the title.