Arsenal Transfer Rumor: Gunners Planning £13M Raid on Chelsea Pair ?

English Premier League club Arsenal's manager, Arsene Wenger, is reportedly preparing to make possible January moves for the experienced Chelsea pair of Ivorian international Salomon Kalou and Brazilian defender Alex to bolster his team and add more strength to the squad.

Wenger has seen his team's defense crumble in tough situations this season and is said to be interested in bringing in more central defensive options after the squad conceded a massive 23 goals in 14 matches. German Per Mertesacker, who is one of Wenger's three main centre-back options, has found it hard to adapt to life in the Premier League and Belgian Thomas Vermaelen has had major setbacks with injuries that have limited him to as little as 11 starts in the last 18 months. The third option, Laurent Koscielny, has improved his game this season after a poor first season.

Now, however, Wenger believes he needs reinforcements in the area and will make an offer of around £5 million for the 29-year-old Chelsea man. However, it is to be seen if the strongly-built Brazilian centre-back will consider the move, particularly in the light of his desire for first-team action.

The other player on the list, Salomon Kalou, has long been targeted by Wenger, with the boss publicly stating his admiration for the Ivorian. The Chelsea attacker may be brought in to help add another element to the club's attack, which heavily relies on Dutchman and skipper Robin van Persie's goal scoring abilities.

Although Kalou, 26, has never been a regular at Stamford Bridge, he has still managed to bag more than 50 goals in a total of five-and-a-half seasons with the club. In addition, while most comfortable playing through the centre of the attack Kalou can also be played out on the wing, like he did during his stint with Feyenoord, which is an added bonus for any team.

Wenger has considered an £8 million bid for the player who fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea. However, the player will remain unavailable for club duty in January, as the African Cup of Nations commences then; but Wenger is still hopeful of bagging him.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, previously, accepted a transfer request from Alex and while he keeps Kalou as back-up, he may now be ready to sell both players to help trim the Blues' massive squad. The Chelsea manager is keen to make additions when the transfer window re-opens next month and may therefore look to offload players he feels surplus to requirements, to help make room for new arrivals.

Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League with 26 points from 14 games.