Arsenal News: Gunners’ Top 10 Transfer Rumors Till Dec. 12

As the Transfer window approaches fast, new reports are flooding the internet about the supposed transfers that may take place, and Arsenal have held a bulk of these rumors suggesting that boss Arsene Wenger will do just anything this season to secure a top four finish, if not a silverware.

Wenger knows that there is a big chance of good players leaving the club if the team doesn't finish the season successfully, and hence, over the months, the team has been linked with both high-profile and not so famous players who could make a entry into the Emirates Stadium once the window opens.

Here is a list of the top 10 rumored transfers involving the Gunners.

Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund: Undoubtedly one of the longest running transfer sagas this season involving Arsenal, and nearly every day generating new reports from both the English and the German media, Gotze, 19, has been linked with Arsenal, and Borussia has put a price tag of 30 million on the starlet. The Gunners feel that they have a chance to lure the player to the Emirates Stadium following Borussia's premature exit from this season Champions League. It is yet to be seen if the North London club will agree to such a fee.

Lukas Podolski from FC Koln: Podolski is one of those players whom Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been targeting for some time now. With the team heavily dependent on the services of Dutch striker and skipper Robin van Persie, Wenger feels that a second striker would take the pressure off from van Persie infront of goal. The Gunners are also believed to be the favorites to land the 26-year-old who is fancying a move out of Germany. However, the Germany international has made it clear that a move will only happen if he is guaranteed a first team place which is currently being held by both the Dutchman and Ivorian Gervinho.

Xherdan Shaqiri from FC Basel: One of the very recent interests of the Gunners, Swiss club Basel's Albanian-born winger Xherdan Shaqiri has proved to be a very important part of his current team. The Swiss international has impressed boss Arsene Wenger who received reports about him from his scouts. Shaqiri, 20, has played a major role in Basel's back-to-back title success in the domestic league and has shown enough maturity in the team's European campaign so far. The Gunners know that there is a chance to land the player as he will cost less due to his lack of experience in top leagues. The player has also attracted attention from both Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Luuk de Jong from FC Twente: Luuk de Jong has interested both Arsenal and Liverpool, but if the reports are to be believed, the Gunners are ahead of the Reds to land the player. De Jong, 21, who has impressed in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, could be the key to Wenger's on-going search for a striker to aid skipper Robin van Persie. Twente has upped the player's price tag from £6 million to £8 million recently and could even increase it depending on the number of bidders in January. De Jong has also expressed his desire to play his football in London if he ends up leaving the Dutch club.

Eden Hazard from Lille: Wenger had previously talked about French club Lille's Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard as the best option to replace Frenchman Samir Nasri who left for Premiership rivals Manchester City last summer. Now the player has expressed his desire to leave Lille at the end of the current season and Lille boss Rudi Garcia is not really animated by the prospect of losing one of his most prized possessions. However, he will know that he stands little chance to convince Hazard to stay back at the Stade Metropole. Hazard, 20, was named as the Ligue 1 player of the season last year after helping Lille to their first domestic title in over 50 years.

Yaan M'Vila from Rennes: This is one player whose price tag has been confirmed by his club and has been taken into notice by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Rennes' Sporting Director, Jean-Francois Creachcadec, in a statement discussing M'Vila's future, said the 21-year-old enforcer was a player of a very high technical value and hence was also of great economic value.

The Frenchman previously broke the passing record by completing 92.5 percent of his attempted 134 passes, when playing for the national team in a 2-0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying win over Luxembourg. He has a good reputation for successfully breaking up plays and had also expressed his desire to play his football in Either England or Spain. Gunners believe that the player could be a great alternative to senior man Alex Song.

Gabriel Torje from Udinese: Nicknamed the Romanian Lionel Messi, Udinese's 22-year-old winger Gabriel Torje has attracted Gunners boss Arsene Wenger who is specially impressed by talented youngsters. The player's agent had also revealed that Arsenal had approached him to enquire about the player who is just playing his first season in the Italian Serie A this season and has managed to impress in short spells. Wenger, in all probabilities, will try to get hold of the player next summer, if not this January. Torje is under contract with Udinese until 2016.

Moussa Sow from Lille: Apart from Eden Hazard of Lille, Senegalese international Moussa Sow of the same club has also made his way into Wenger's transfer plans and renovating the squad. The player is believed to be an effective attacking option up front and could provide assistance to skipper Robin van Persie by sharing the goal scoring burden. Sow, 25, was named Ligue 1's top scorer last season and has attracted attention from Tottenham, Spanish club Valencia and cash-rich PSG. Lille can only hang on to both Sow and Hazard if they manage to qualify for Champions League.

Roberto Soldado from Valencia: Yet another rumored striking option linked with the Gunners recently, Valencia's Roberto Soldado has also been seen as an effective partner for skipper Robin van Persie. The 26-year-old has impressed in La Liga in the current season with his good form and excellent finishing skills. However, the move still depends on the fact that the Gunners manage a top four finish this season and secure a place in next year's Champions League. The Gunners are looking forward to make full use of the financial difficulties that are reportedly plaguing the Mestalla-based team, who may be compelled to sell more players to balance the books. Valencia previously sold players like David Villa, Raul Albiol and David Silva.

Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao: Fernando Llorente is one of the two Spaniards from Athletic Bilbao whom the Gunners have targeted, the other being Iker Muniain. The North London club, however, will know that they will be facing a tough competition for the 26-year-old from London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea.