Arsenal are reportedly interested in the services of Celtic and Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yeung, as they try to complete their squad before the start of the 2012/13 Premier League season on 18 August. The Gunners have already announced the signing of Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla for an undisclosed fee; an earlier IBTimes UK report speculated the amount could be in the region of £17m. The interest in Ki Sung was announced after South Korea's quarter final penalty shootout win over Great Britain, in the men's football event at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

South Korea's Ki Sung-yeung (R)
Reuters

The Korean is widely regarded as a versatile player and enjoys comparison with Liverpool's Steven Gerrard for similarities in style of play. An important member of Celtic's squad, Ki Sung, the Daily Mail reports, is valued at £9m. He has also been linked previously with QPR, who have reportedly bid £6m for his services. Meanwhile, Liverpool have also been credited with an interest, with rumours from last month suggesting Brendan Rodgers wanted to bring him to Anfield.

Ki Sung isn't the only Hoops player Arsene Wenger is interested in though. An IBTimes UK report suggested defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama was also in the Frenchman's crosshairs; the Kenyan was reportedly being lined up as an alternative to Lille's Yann M'Vila.

"I'm proud that I'm the first Kenyan player to play in the UK and I'd be very happy also to be the first Kenyan to play in the Premier League," Wanyama said earlier, "I think the Premiership is the dream of so many players, so I'd be happy to play there. There are a lot of good clubs in England. I've been happy here, and the fans have been brilliant with me. But it would not be a terrible thing for me if the club agree to let me go, and they get a good offer."

Arsenal are now in Germany preparing for the start of the new season. They will play FC Koln in a friendly on 12 August, as part of the transfer agreement that saw German international striker Lukas Podolski move to the Emirates earlier in the summer.

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