Wenger coy over Vidal and Benzema moves

Arsene Wenger has spoken of his admiration for Arturo Vidal but refused to be drawn on whether Arsenal will make a move for the Juventus midfielder and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. 

Arsenal boss Wenger has made no secret of his desire to add some high-quality new faces to his squad in order to mount a challenge for the Premier League title next season.

Vidal has been linked with a big-money move to join his Chile team-mate Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates Stadium, while Real forward Benzema is also reported to be a target for Arsenal.

When quizzed about a potential move for Vidal, Wenger said: “If I tell you I like him, you will announce the transfer just after that.

“If you want me to say I like Arturo Vidal, yes I like Arturo Vidal. Are we in a transfer mode? I say, no.”

Wenger also gave nothing away when asked if he plans to table a bid for Benzema.

“You can suspect that at the moment I am not in a transfer mode,” he added.

“We’ll deal with the transfers after the FA Cup final [against Aston Villa on Saturday]. It’s all suspicions. Does anybody know if that’s true or not? I don’t know.”