Gareth Barry found himself on the fringes of Manchester City’s first-team plans in the summer, and looked set to spend a major part of the season watching from the sidelines. As a result, he was angling for a move – either temporary or permanent – to another club in search of regular first-team football in order to improve his chances of making the cut for England’s World Cup squad.

Monitoring this situation closely, Arsenal made an attempt to sign him on loan back then, which was however thwarted by City who were not even remotely keen on strengthening a direct rival. What followed was a loan move to Everton where the 32-year old has flourished. He has put in some solid impressive performances in the heart of midfield and is one of Everton’s mainstays this term under Roberto Martinez. His chances of featuring for England in the World Cup have increased significantly now.

The Express now report that Arsenal are again interested in Barry, and with his contract set to run out in the summer, Arsene Wenger wants to try snapping him up for free. Will Wenger succeed in bringing him to the Emirates Stadium ahead of next season?