Sanchez, Coquelin, Walcott and Debuchy heading for Arsenal exit

Arsene Wenger is ready to sanction moves for a number of Arsenal players looking for a move away from the club in the next six months, as he looks to freshen up the squad ahead of next season.

Alexis Sanchez is leading the way with the Chilean closing in on a move to Manchester City. The French coach insisted that he will remain at the Emirates Stadium at least until the end of the campaign when his contract expires, but it looks like the club may sanction the move in January if the fee offered is satisfactory.

Apart from the Chile international, the likes of Francis Coquelin, Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott are all looking to leave Arsenal, as they have struggled for game time under Wenger this season. The trio has mainly been used in the cup competitions with chances in the Premier League only coming when the regular players are sidelined with injuries.

According to Goal, the Gunners are planning a fresh recruitment drive in the summer after appointing Sven Mislintat as the new head of recruitment and bringing in Raul Sanllehi as the new director of football relations and with that comes the exit of the fringe players, who are not wholly part of Wenger's plans.

Sanchez could leave in the coming weeks with reports suggesting that Pep Guardiola has given the go-ahead of bringing him to the Etihad and The Guardian are reporting that the league leaders are planning a bid in the region of £30m this month. The former Barcelona winger is also said to be keen to join the Spanish coach's Premier League title favourites at the earliest.

Coquelin is another player said to be keen on a move away in order to find the regular first-team football and has attracted interest from clubs in England and abroad. West Ham United are said to be keen on signing the French midfielder but could lose out to La Liga outfit Valencia.

According to the Mirror, the Mestalla Stadium outfit are keen on signing Coquelin during the ongoing January transfer window and have submitted a £12m bid to beat off other competitors. West Ham and Crystal Palace are also said to be keen but are yet to make a concrete offer.

Debuchy, on the other hand, has been made available for transfer since the summer but continues to remain at Arsenal after a failed move to Ligue 1 in the last transfer window. He is also desperate to end his Arsenal stay and has been mooted for a move to West Bromwich Albion as part the club's plan to sign Jonny Evans.

Wenger is keen to bolster Arsenal's leaky defence going into the second-half of the season and has identified the former Manchester United defender as a potential target. However, City are also keen and are said to be ready to battle the Gunners for Evans' signature this month.

Walcott is another player looking to move away from the Emirates to improve his chances of playing regularly in the Premier League. He has failed to make a single start this campaign, with most of his game time coming in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.

Southampton confirmed their interest in signing the forward, but are not ready to meet Arsenal's £25m valuation. Walcott is said to be ready to accept a temporary move just so that he can play regularly and improve his chances of making Gareth Southgate's 23-man World Cup squad this summer.