Jose Mourinho has placed the Ivory Coast hitman on his shortlist of striker targets as he looks to completely reinvigorate the Chelsea front line. Bony has impressed in his debut season for Swansea, scoring 16 goals in the Premier League alone.
New strikers are also on the agenda across London at the Emirates Stadium as Wenger looks to provide ample competition for Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo. The Arsenal boss has also been granted a reported £100m by the board and is ready to blow a significant chunk of securing Bony.
Swansea are reluctant to see the 25-year-old leave after one season but Wenger will be confident of convincing officials at the Liberty Stadium by offering them the chance to more than double their initial £12m outlay.
Wenger is reaping the benefits of years of frugal spending as Arsenal seem to be in the best position to cope with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Meanwhile Chelsea are having to sell stars like David Luiz in order to generate funds for new purchase.
With FFP creating a more equal playing ground between Arsenal and the Roman Abramovich-backed west London club, Wenger is ready to stamp his authority by making the big move for Bony.
Chelsea won’t match that offer but may instead move for Loic Remy, who is also believed to be a target for Arsenal and has an £8m release clause on his QPR contract.
Written by Steve Milne
