Arsenal: Arsene Wenger will not spend 'stratospheric numbers' to win the title

Arsene Wenger has revealed that Arsenal will not be in the market to compete with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United for players who would cost a "stratospheric" amount of money.

The Gunners, along with United, have been linked with a move for Paul Pogba, who is likely to be available for a fee in the range of £60m, an amount that Wenger would be loathe to spend, given their current financial situation.

The Frenchman revealed that their financial condition has improved dramatically over the last few years but they are still some way away from competing with the stalwarts. The manager was also quizzed about Gareth Bale, a Manchester United target, who is rated at £100m.

Wenger signed Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, spending an unprecedented amount of money in the past couple of seasons, which translated to two FA Cup titles and the Community Shield. Wenger is now looking to add quality to the side but insists that their targets need to be available for a price within their means.

"We have not spent that kind of money. People forget that for years we had to sell our best players and that was a very difficult period. That is the reality," Wenger said when asked if he will be competing with the likes of Pogba and Bale.

"Since we started to buy again, we have slowly come back to a more competitive level. But you speak maybe about stratospheric numbers where we will not be involved.

"Not at that level. For financial reasons. It's simple. I do not want to tell you how much money we have. But I have not made a clear decision yet for what I will do.

"Don't rule anything out and I will not tell you as well how much money we will spend. But I'm always more focused on quality.

"I want a good rapport between price and quality. Santi Cazorla was voted man of the match in the FA Cup final. I don't think he cost £150m. Francis Coquelin was one of the best players on the pitch.

"I am not against spending money. I have shown that recently," he concluded.