Xherdan Shaqiri

Xherdan Shaqiri has become an integral part of the FC Basel team in the last two seasons, featuring heavily as the club won back to back league titles and competed in the Champions League. The 20-year-old also impressed hugely during the European Under-21 Championships in the summer, and followed this up with a man-of-the-match performance (in which he scored a hat-trick) against Bulgaria in Switzerland’s Euro 2012 qualifier in September.

Despite all the success on the pitch, Shaqiri’s accolade as one of Europe’s future stars remains in doubt. The Albania-born midfielder has been on the radar of several top European clubs since his early teens, but a lack of consistency and serious questions related to poor attitude in the past mean that he is yet to negotiate a big-money move to another club.

Arsène Wenger is known to have sent Arsenal representatives to monitor Shaqiri in Switzerland, and is said to be very impressed by highly favourable reports. The midfielder is valued at somewhere in the region of £15 million.

Yann M’Vila

Rennes chief Jean-François Creachcadec confirmed last month that the club received a substantial offer from an English club for Yann M’vila, but there was not enough time for any deal to go through.

It is known that Rennes received (and rejected) four bids for M’Vila over the summer, which is now thought to include a £25 million bid made by Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

M’Vila is described as a player who possess ”excellent defensive abilities” and “impressive physical strength”, making him (it would seem) the perfect addition to the Arsenal squad. He is 21 years old, and is exactly the sort of player that Arsène Wenger is normally looking for.