Arsenal eye Stéphane M’Bia to bolster midfield

After failing (so far) to land Sami Khedira or William Carvalho at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have turned their attention to Cameroon’s Stéphane M’Bia and Côte d’Ivoire’s Cheick Tioté to add strength to their midfield, according to British reports.

Gunners’ boss Arsène Wenger is reportedly preparing a £8-million bid for the 28-year-old Tioté, who has been at Newcastle since 2010 and a £3.5 million switch from FC Twente.

But Wenger has also shown some interest in Cameroon international M’Bia, a free agent since his departure from Queens Park Rangers following a successful season-long loan spell at Sevilla with whom he claimed the UEFA Europa League last May.

The North London side have already signed four players this summer, goalkeeper David Ospina, full-backs Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers and forward Alexis Sanchez, but are still looking for a strong defensive midfielder.

Arsenal will kick off their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on Saturday.