Arsenal Offered Ligue 1 Playmaker on Loan - Report

Arsenal have reportedly been offered Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff on loan till the end of the season.

The Ligue 1 outfit are desperate to offload the France international's £80,000-a-week package from their wage bill and have now contacted the Gunners, with Arsene Wenger being a long-time admirer of the midfielder, according to the Daily Mail.

Gourcuff, who has 29 senior international caps, has made 15 appearances in all competitions for Lyon this season, scoring twice. The player has been linked with Arsenal again of late but given the form shown by Santi Cazorla and now Jack Wilshere in the advanced midfield position, it looks unlikely that Wenger will add the injury-prone Frenchman to his ranks in this window.

The 26-year-old, who was sidelined for the majority of last season with ankle and knee problems, joined Lyon from Bordeaux in 2010 for a fee of around £17m. Gourcuff has impressed at former clubs Rennes and Bordeaux but has struggled to find form at Lyon and also during his stint with AC Milan.

The report also claims Arsenal have joined London rivals Fulham in expressing an interest in Celtic holding midfielder Victor Wanyama, who has been previously linked with a move to Manchester United in January.

Wenger Criticises Referee

Meanwhile, Wenger insists neither of Chelsea's goals in their 2-1 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge should have stood. The Gunners fell 2-0 behind inside 15 minutes, thanks to a Juan Mata strike and a Frank Lampard penalty.

However, Wenger points out that referee Martin Atkinson failed to spot a foul on Francis Coquelin in the build-up to Mata's opener, while he also feels Ramires could have been booked for simulation after the Brazilian went down in the box, after coming into contact with Wojciech Szczesny, earning the Blues a spot-kick.

"The referee gave many free kicks. Some were much less [serious] than the Coquelin one, it's frustrating. It doesn't mean that we should have conceded the goal, but it's frustrating because in the big games, these kind of decisions have big importance. He could have given Ramires a yellow card for the penalty as well," Wenger told the club Web site.

Arsenal are now seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the league table, though the Gunners have a game in hand.