Ivory Coast international, Gervinho has had an inconsistent season with the Gunners, having started only 11 league games during the entire season. His form has been poor at times this season, marked by the glaring miss against Bradford City in the fourth round of the Capital One cup, which Arsenal eventually lost on penalties.

Olivier Giroud has been preferred to start upfront as a lone striker this season, and Gervinho’s inconsistency has led to Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski being ahead of him in the pecking order when Giroud was not selected.

Arsenal have a huge transfer kitty and are expected to spend big in order to challenge the Manchester clubs for the title next season. They have been tipped to acquire a new striker, with Stevan Jovetic seemingly the most likely candidate to appear in Arsenal colours next season.

Wenger is planning a summer clear-out of his squad and it does seem reasonable that Wenger might sell some of the excess he has in the striking department before he spends. Strikers such as Bendtner, Chamakh and now Gervinho look like they are going to permanently leave the Emirates.

According to Metro, Gervinho, who can also play on the wings, is being tracked by French club Lyon. The report suggests that the Ligue 1 side have sounded out Arsenal over a possible season-long loan deal, with the option to make it permanent.

The seven-time league champions are looking to recapture the title from PSG next season and want Gervinho to fire them to success. However, they do not have the necessary funds to offer Arsenal a substantial fee and are therefore thinking of a loan deal.

Gervinho has two years left on his contract and Arsenal would ideally like to sell him on a permanent basis. However, if they are unable to find any buyers for the forward, they are willing to send him out on loan. There is also a slim possibility that the Gunners might propose a swap deal, with midfielder Maxime Gonalons moving in the other direction.