Arsenal Ready £9m Bid for Manchester United Winger Nani

Arsenal are reportedly preparing a bid to sign Nani from Manchester United in the ongoing transfer window.

Reputed Portuguese newspaper A Bola claims that the Gunners are ready to launch an offer of £9m to prise the winger away from Old Trafford. Arsene Wenger is looking to bolster his squad's attacking prowess and has earmarked the 27-year-old as an ideal candidate as he is deemed surplus to requirements by the Red Devils.

Nani, who has been with United since 2007, reportedly does not feature in the plans of new manager Louis van Gaal for the upcoming campaign. The former Sporting starlet is believed to be among the 10 players the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss wants to offload from his roster.

Although the Dutchman has been guaranteed the resources to make more signings, he is said to be keen on clearing off fringe players to reduce the wage bill and also raise funds for further signings.

Last month, the Portuguese international had hinted that he could consider leaving the 20-time English champions this summer. He is reportedly being coveted by Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan, along with Portuguese champions Benfica.

"I'm a United player but there has been some interest on my behalf. I will evaluate it and decide what is the most advantageous for me. A return to Portugal? Right now I don't know," Nani stated.

A Bola's report also states that United could be holding out for at least £11m to offload Nani from their books, given that Nani signed a new five-year contract last summer.

Meanwhile, van Gaal is also believed to be keen on signing Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen and the north London club have demanded £12m for the centre-back. Last month, there were reports suggesting that a swap deal could be the perfect solution given both the club's valuation for their respective players.

Nani is currently with the United squad for their pre-season tour to the USA and featured in the second-half during the 7-0 drubbing of LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Wednesday.

They are due to play AS Roma, Inter and Real Madrid in the Guinness International Champions Cup before flying back to England.