Worried Wenger Back In For Yaya

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Yaya Toure - Barcelona

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The Gunners have been linked with a host of centre-men since French ace Mathieu Flamini left the club at the end of last season, with names like Gareth Barry, Xabi Alonso, Marcos Senna and Goekhan Inler cropping up regularly.

That speculation has only intensified since Gilberto Silva signed for Panathinaikos, as Cesc Fabregas is more or less without a midfield partner for the time being.

Some have suggested that manager Arsene Wenger may instead promote young talents like Abou Diaby and Denilson, the latter of whom has been particularly impressive during pre-season.

However, the Arsenal manager admitted he was "worried" about his midfield after a recent friendly, and his choosing to insert Phillipe Senderos into a defensive midfield position late on in a game further highlighted the Gunners' soft centre.

The News of the World claims that he has set his sights on Toure - a player he has long followed - as he seeks to install the sort of muscle Arsenal's midfield has been missing since Patrick Vieira departed in 2005.

The Ivory Coast international joined the Blaugrana last summer from Monaco and generally impressed despite suffering a series of injuries, most notably a back problem that ended his campaign early.

However, the 25-year-old's future at Camp Nou has been cast into doubt by the instalment of new Barca boss Josep Guardiola and the subsequent arrival of Seydou Keita from Sevilla.

And while Toure is supposedly happy in Catalunya, he will no doubt be attracted by the prospect of playing with his brother Kolo, who has been with the North London side since 2002.

But the former Olympiacos man will not come cheap, and Arsenal will have to pay significantly more than they would have had they snapped him up from Beveren five years ago.

Mike Maguire