Arsene Wenger is preparing an audacious player-plus-cash move for striker Mauro Icardi. Luca Pessina of La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Monday morning that Arsenal could splash £29million and also throw their first-choice striker Olivier Giroud at Inter Milan to secure the services of their skipper.

The 23-year-old striker has been linked with a move away from San Siro for some time now, with his wife and agent, Wanda Nara, desperately attempting to engineer an improved contract all summer. Suning Commerce Group, who took over Inter in June, are eager to retain the services of their captain as they eye at Champions League qualification next season. However, a player-plush-cash deal involving France’s first-choice centre-forward striker may convince the Italian club to sanction the transfer.

Arsene Wenger, however, stated earlier this year that Giroud would be his first-choice striker going into the 2016/17 campaign. Whether he would want to part ways with his compatriot after the strong statement is unknown. Besides, the manager only recently claimed that transfer fee would never dent their chances of signing their targets; he will likely prefer stumping up a few more millions rather than sending his prized asset the other way.

Arsenal’s hopes of signing Alexandre Lacazette ended after the Olympique Lyonnais striker sustained a hip injury in the 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophee des Champions on Sunday. Thus, Arsenal’s number of options in the market has gone further down. By the looks of things, Arsenal can only pull off a signing in the event of an opportunity arising, as it did when Mesut Ozil became available out of the blue a few years ago.