Arsenal: Aliko Dangote confirms he still hopes to buy Gunners for the right price

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has claimed Arsenal need to alter their style slightly as he revealed he has not given up hope of buying the club in the future.

According to reports, the 58-year-old chairman of industrial conglomerate the Dangote Group with an estimated net worth of $21.6bn (£14.2bn) has seen his wealth rapidly increase in the five years since he previously tried to buy a stake in the Premier League outfit back in 2010.

The Gunners are currently owned by American Stan Kroenke's KSE UK Inc and Red and White Securities Limited, the latter a subsidiary of Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri's Red and White Holdings Ltd, who have shares 67.02% and 30.04% respectively as per the club's official website. Kroenke bought two additional shares in April.

"I still hope, one day at the right price, that I'll buy the team," Dangote told Bloomberg. "I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won't want to resist. I know my strategy."

He reportedly later added that manager Arsene Wenger "needs to change his style a bit" while proclaiming the need for a new direction.

With Arsenal situated in London, boasting a large fan base and a history of domestic success in addition to posting a pre-tax profit of £11.1m in February, it is not difficult to see why the club would attract interest of this nature.

Although they operated rather frugally in the transfer market in the aftermath of their move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, the Gunners have thrown off those self-imposed shackles in recent years to invest heavily in the playing squad in order to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

No longer wishing to be seen as merely content to qualify for the Champions League ever year, the Gunners have spent over £100m on players this season alone, with the purchase of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona the most eye-catching transfer since Mesut Ozil arrived from Real Madrid for a club record £42m fee in September 2013.

Following a 3-1 win over Hull on 3 May, Wenger's side are currently third in the top-flight and they trail Manchester City for the runners-up spot behind champions Chelsea only on goal difference with a game-in-hand still to come against Sunderland.

Arsenal face Swansea next and also have to play Manchester United and West Brom in addition to the Black Cats before the season is complete. They have the chance to retain the FA Cup when they face Aston Villa in the final at Wembley.