England forward Jamie Vardy urged to complete £20m 'fantastic' move to Arsenal

Leicester City and England forward Jamie Vardy has been urged to complete his £20m move to Arsenal where he can become the final piece of the jigsaw in north London. The 29-year-old is currently considering an offer after the Gunners activated his release clause, but no decision has yet been made over his future.

BBC Sport reports Vardy has been offered a deal worth £120,000-a-week to swap the Premier League champions for the Emirates Stadium, following a campaign where he scored 24 goals and fired the 5000-1 outsiders to the title. Despite finishing second behind the Foxes, Olivier Giroud netted just 16 times in the top flight and went on a 13-game run without a goal during a key period of the campaign.

Arsenal have already made one signing this summer in the form of Switzerland international Granit Xhaka and are keen to complete a second deal before the start of the European Championships on 10 June. Former record goalscorer Ian Wright believes the addition of Vardy will be "fantastic business" for the club.

"I'm delighted to see Arsene going for an English striker who is a proven Premier League goalscorer," he told The Sun. "And, equally important, someone who is a winner. Adding Jamie to the side would give the Gunners another dimension, and I believe that at this stage of his career he is ready to blast on and do even greater things.

"If they are getting him for £20m, I can't see it as anything other than fantastic business. In my view Vardy ticks all the boxes, in terms of ability, attitude, effort and achievement. He'll run all day, he'll work his socks off every second he's on the pitch and the fans would absolutely idolise him. Throw in his goalscoring record at the highest level and you're talking a real winner."

Giroud's slump in form coincided with a crucial period of the season which saw the club's title bid dissipate during the final third of the campaign. Arsenal have often lacked versatility and options in that position and ex-defender Martin Keown believes Vardy gives Wenger an alternative attacker he has needed for so long.

"If you look at Vardy and you look at what Arsenal don't have down the middle with their strikers – someone who likes to run behind a defence – then if you feed him he's a real handful and as good as anyone," he told 888Sport.com, according to The Daily Mail. "He'd be a player who would strengthen Arsenal and give them more variation to their play which they lack down that central area.

"They have already made their intention clear. It's going to be a very competitive summer and we could well see the best-ever Premier League next season with the set of managers coming to the table in Guardiola and Mourinho revisiting their rivalry in Manchester and Jurgen Klopp continuing to develop Liverpool."