Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Lists Requirements To Purchase Eden Hazard

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he is a fan of confirmed Chelsea and Manchester City target Eden Hazard, but the Arsenal manager also insisted that funding will be tight this summer as the club considers their profit margins.

Wenger is well known for being frugal when it comes to purchasing players, and the Frenchman has not often spent over £10 million bringing in fresh faces while Premier League giants Chelsea and City have been willing to pay big money for targets.

And as Arsenal struggle to gain entry into the top four this season, Wenger admits that while he likes the idea of Hazard joining the side, balancing the books will always come first in north London.

"I really like Hazard for several reasons," he said, as reported by the Express.

"His creative power, his ability to misalign the opponent, his vision of the game and his consummate skill to pick the last pass make him a very interesting player.

"Hazard's profile fits a high-level club and Arsenal is a high-level club. But you should know that each season it is imperative Arsenal make a profit of between £15m and £20m. And I would add that the purpose of a coach is to always buy at a price he sees fit."

Arsenal have been connected to a large group of in demand players over the past few seasons, with Mario Gotze and even the likes of Kaka said to be on their radar at some point.

But the club would appear likely to be priced out of any possible deals for stars of that calibre, and even though last summer the Gunners profited at least £64 million from selling some big names, they leant towards buying untried players in the Premier League such as Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Chelsea and Manchester City both confirmed last week that they were keeping an eye on Hazard, and the playmaker himself has said that while he didn't want to leave Lille in January, he would be open to a move to England in the summer to further his footballing skills.