If Arsene Wenger rebuilds Arsenal by selling Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil, which transfers will he target?

There is a growing belief at the Emirates Stadium that Wenger will decide to stay at Arsenal for at least another season. If he does, which players will he sign to boost results?

If Wenger stays on, he has a lot of work to do (Getty )

Immediately after Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat to West Brom on Saturday, Arsene Wenger told reporters that he knew “what I will do with my future and you will know soon – very soon.” His answer was characteristically ambiguous but, over the last 48 hours, there appears to be a growing belief in north London that the Frenchman will stay for at least one more season.

If he does decide to stay, the 2017/18 season will be the most difficult of Wenger’s 21-year stay at the club. Their two star players – Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil – look likely to leave, while the futures of several other senior players are unresolved.

Recent reports suggest that Wenger will be given £100m to spend in the 2017 summer transfer window to overhaul his squad, as well any money raised from the potential sales of Sanchez and Özil.

But which players might Wenger move for? And what areas of the squad require the most reinvestment?

Goalkeeper

Joe Hart is a potential replacement for Ospina (Getty)

David Ospina was ruthlessly targeted by West Brom after replacing an injured Petr Cech and looks to have little future at the club. Wenger has repeatedly described his former number one as world-class, but Ospina is thought to be ‘disenchanted’ with his bit-part role and Arsenal are unlikely to stand in the 28-year-old’s way should he agitate for a move away from the club.

Joe Hart, who will certainly make a permanent move away from Manchester City in the summer, is a potential replacement although would likely favour joining a club where he is guaranteed a spot in the first-team every week.

Stoke’s Jack Butland is another target, with speculation intensifying in recent days that Wenger sees the 24-year-old as the long-term successor to Cech. But Stoke won’t let Butland leave on the cheap and will demand a significant fee given the player’s home-grown status, as well as how poorly Lee Grant, their number two, has performed in recent weeks.

At least Cech’s future is assured. “Petr’s position at the club is very secure and a summer transfer can be ruled out,” his agent Viktor Kolar said last month in a statement.

Defence

Gaya is a target for clubs across Europe (Getty ) (Getty)

Hector Bellerin’s recent comments in the Spanish press will come as a grave concern to the Arsenal hierarchy. "It's nice there are a lot of big clubs that are interested in me, but if one of those is Barcelona that's special,” the full-back told SPORT.

The player only signed a new six-year deal in November but there is an awareness at the club that – should Barcelona make an official approach – it will be difficult to keep hold of the 22-year-old.

On the left, Kieran Gibbs only has one-year left on his contract and has been linked with a move to West Ham. Nacho Monreal is unlikely to leave in the summer, but has been poor this season and will turn 32 next season, which means the club are likely to attempt to recruit a new left-back when the transfer window re-opens.

There has been a lot of excitement over Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, with Arsenal scouts spotted at Celtic Park a number of times this season to watch the 19-year-old in action. But Valencia’s Jose Gaya is a more likely prospect due to his greater experience in a more competitive league.

The 21-year-old has a £45m release clause in his contract, although Arsenal will be hopeful of signing him for considerably less. Expect the Arsenal hierarchy to be keeping a close eye on the La Liga run-in: in the unlikely event of Valencia going down, there will be a long queue of clubs hopeful of tempting Gaya away on the cheap.

Midfield

Dortmund would not let Reus go on the cheap (Bongarts/Getty)

Mesut Özil has been offered a record-breaking new contract at Arsenal, which he is still yet to sign. Although the German international isn’t as certain to leave the Emirates this summer as Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal are unlikely to allow Özil to enter the final year of his contract and risk losing him on a free. If he doesn’t sign, he’ll be sold, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both interested.

Marco Reus would be a ready-made replacement, although Dortmund would demand a huge fee for the player, who will be 28 at the start of the new season. As long-term solutions go, his signature makes little sense. Real Madrid's James Rodriguez is another player whose names has been bandied around by fans, but his wage demands are significantly more than Arsenal would be willing to pay.

Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may both hand in transfer requests this summer, with the latter growing particularly frustrated this season. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s unhappiness stems from a lack of playing time as well the utility-man role Wenger has handed him; should the Frenchman remain at the club he will likely be one of the first to leave.

Wilshere’s future is less certain. The 25-year-old is desperate to succeed at The Emirates but the same doubts remain at the club surrounding his form and fitness. Ross Barkley is a target, but Arsenal would largely face a bidding war for the player with north London rivals Tottenham.

Forwards

Arsenal may make another attempt to sign Lacazette (AFP/Getty)

Arsenal are resigned to losing their star player, Alexis Sanchez. He has been offered a potential club-record contract but has shown little inclination of signing on the dotted line and has made headlines in recent weeks with his stroppy demeanour and dark rumours of a training-ground bust-up.

Sanchez has no shortage of suitors and would command a hefty transfer fee: Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus head up the queue. With Olivier Giroud underwhelming in recent weeks, any money made from Sanchez’s sale would be immediately reinvested in another forward, although high-quality European strikers are at something of a premium.

Alexandre Lacazette, repeatedly linked with the club last summer, would be a realistic target. The club previously had a £40m bid rejected by Lyon, although the Ligue 1 side would find any offers exceeding £50m difficult to turn down. Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams is another, cheaper option: the 22-year-old has a £42m release clause in his contract.

Monaco’s Kylian Mbappé would be the dream replacement for Sanchez, but it is difficult to envisage Arsenal matching the spending power of Real Madrid, who have also been courting the 18-year-old. So in demand is the young French forward that Monaco may even demand a world-record fee for his services.