Arsenal and Liverpool keen on Gervinho

Arsene Wenger wants to sign Lille's Ivory Coast striker Gervinho this summer but he faces competition from Liverpool.

The Arsenal manager is a long-term admirer of Gervinho and he has placed him prominently on his list of targets.

Wenger has said that "for the first time in a while, I will be very active" on the transfer market yet the deal for Gervinho could hinge on his ability to sell Andrey Arshavin.

He is open to offers for the Russia forward, who has been a disappointment this season, and he would like to swell his transfer kitty by recouping the £15m that the club paid for him in the winter window of 2009.

Gervinho, 24, has made it clear that he wants to play Champions League football next season, which he would be able to do if he stayed at Lille, who have won the French title for the first time since 1954.

But the prospect of a move to the Barclays Premier League appeals, with Liverpool also an attractive option. Gervinho intends to make a firm decision on his future after Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin on 5 June.

Source: Guardian

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