Arsenal Transfer Rumor: Gunners to Make £5m Cut-Price Bid for Chelsea Forward Salomon Kalou

The Gunners are set to make a cut-price £5 million January bid for Chelsea's back-up forward Salomon Kalou who will be out of a contract with the London Rivals at the end of the season, according to reports.

However, Kalou has delayed signing a new £85,000-per-week deal as he wants the club to guarantee him more playing time.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has refused to make any such promise to the Ivorian who is determined to leave Stamford Bridge and go somewhere where he will be of higher value. Arsenal seems to be the next best option for him since it let him stay at his London home.

The fact that signing up with Arsenal will ensure his stay in London excites Kalou. Gunners could use this to their advantage and sign the player who is also being closely monitored by Liverpool.

Previously, Arsenal were reported to be on the lookout for a support striker who could easily take the scoring pressure from Gunners skipper and Dutchman Robin Van Persie. With the likes of Germany international Lukas Podolski, Fiorentina's Montenegrin forward Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund's Mario Gotze already linked with the Gunners in the previous week, Kalou is the latest player to be added to the list.

The Gunners will also want a back-up striker as soon as in January owing to the fact that Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh, who has struggled to find his form in the Premier League, could depart the Emirates Stadium, and newly bought Park Ju-Young will still take time to get accustomed to the Premiership way of life.

Kalou's inclusion could be a positive for the Gunners as he is versatile and has the ability to play wide as well as through the middle. The Gunners may not agree to the same wage terms as that which is provided at Stamford Bridge. However, if they can guarantee Kalou more play time, the deal may be possible.

Kalou is a big fan of the Gunners, according to a Caughtoffside report.

Salomon Kalou is often used on the wings by Chelsea. He prefers to play on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favored right foot.

Kalou joined Chelsea from Feyenoord May 2006 for a fee that was believed to be approximately £9 million and has made 146 appearances for the West London club scoring 35 times so far.