Arda Turan identified as Mesut Ozil's replacement with Arsenal plotting £25m move

Arsenal have begun identifying reinforcements for the squad despite the uncertainty surrounding the club with over the future of Arsene Wenger and a number of players.

Arda Turan has been identified as a perfect replacement for Mesut Ozil, who looks unlikely to extend his contract with the north London club, with the Gunners planning a £25m ($31.2m) bid for the Barcelona attacker, according to The Times.

Arsenal are expected to lose star duo Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, who is also stalling on a new contract and like the German will have just 12 months on his current deal at the end of the season. Wenger's future too is in doubt with his contract expiring at the end of the season, but reports suggest that the Frenchman has agreed to extend his stay by at least two more years.

The club hierarchy are keen to bolster their squad ahead of the impending departures and have identified the Turkey international as a perfect replacement for the German. Wenger is a keen admirer of Turan and was linked with a move before he chose to join Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in 2015.

The Turkish attacker has struggled to break into the starting XI during his time with the Catalan giants owing to the presence of Liones Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. Turan has largely been used as a substitute having made just 22 starts in the league in the last two seasons. The 30-year-old is contracted to Barcelona until the summer of 2020, but could be tempted to move with the offer of playing regular football at the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger recently revealed that the club have shelved contract talks with Sanchez and Ozil – after failing to reach an agreement - until the summer in order to focus on ending the season strongly. Arsenal are in danger of missing out on a place in the top four, which could accelerate the departures of the German and the Chilean.