Arsene Wenger is poised to break into the £40million he has received from Manchester City by tying up a deal for long-term target Blaise Matuidi.
And it looks increasingly likely the youngster will be mentored by Patrick Vieira, who could be on his way back to Arsenal.
Fans concerned by the lack of transfer activity will be cheered by the news that Wenger is ready to splash cash from the sales of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to City on St Etienne's £5m-rated defensive midfielder Matuidi, a France Under-21 international.
But the fact that Wenger is considering bringing back ex-skipper Vieira in a sensational move will really capture their imagination.
Matuidi, 22, fits the profile of a typical Wenger signing and the same is true of his only summer capture thus far, defender Thomas Vermaelen, 23, who joined in a £10m deal from Ajax.
St Etienne sporting director and former Arsenal scout, Damien Comolli, conceded recently that an offer from a 'top-10 European club' would be difficult to turn down.
The lack of a natural leader has encouraged the Arsenal manager to explore the possibility of signing his former skipper from Inter Milan on a free transfer.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Special bond: Wenger and Vieira remain close
Wenger and Vieira have remained close since he was sold to Juventus for £13.7m in 2005 and the midfielder has been a regular visitor to the Emirates. Contact between the pair has intensified over the past fortnight, which may explain why a potential move to Arsenal rivals Tottenham looks to have hit the buffers.
Vieira is desperate to bow out on a high with France in next summer's World Cup and would be ready to accept a one-year deal on a pay-as-you-play basis. He accepts he would not play every week but the chance to show he still has what it takes does appeal.
A move for the 33-year-old would be a calculated risk after a catalogue of injuries restricted him to 10 Serie A starts last season, but he has looked in good shape in the pre-season campaign. Wenger also remains on the trail of a striker to replace Adebayor, with Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh and Andre- Pierre Gignac of Toulouse two of the most likely candidates.
Insisting his squad needs only minor adjustments, Wenger said: 'If we need to add then we will. We have money available, so for us it is now important to spend it in the right way.'
Marksman Andrey Arshavin firmly believes that his manager must buy a new centre half. The Russian said: 'After the departure of Kolo Toure, our main focus in the transfer market will most likely be on a defender rather than a forward.'
Arshavin is impressed with new boy Vermaelen but believes it is asking a lot for the centre half to step into Toure's shoes.
'He's really quite good,' said Arshavin of the Belgium star. 'But it's difficult for him to immediately replace one of the pillars of our defence.'
Arsenal play in the Emirates Cup this weekend and Arshavin is looking forward to facing competitive opposition from Rangers and Atletico Madrid in the build-up to a new season in which he sees Manchester City as a big threat.
'City have clearly strengthened their squad,' he said. 'I won't say they will claim the title, but they're in good shape to dilute the Big Four. The main task of the first part of the season is to get into the Champions League.'
Source: Dalily Mail
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