Benzema
Could Arsenal revisit a deal for Karim Benzema? Reuters

More interesting news has developed with Arsenal, as the summer transfer period winds down.

Sir Alex Ferguson apparently dropped a bombshell announcement by saying he is no longer interested in making another addition this summer, meaning Samir Nasri won't be replacing Paul Scholes anytime soon at Manchester United.

That leaves Manchester City as the only club with a legitimate interest in the French playmaker. Nasri has been rumoured to have a price tag between £15 million and £30 million, and there haven't been any non-Premier League teams that have shown interest in Nasri for several weeks.

It's up to manager Arsene Wenger to have a midfield transfer replacement if he decides to send Nasri packing. There aren't many options on the market that can bring what Nasri offers the Gunners: great dribbling and passing skills, excellent field vision, and an attack-minded attitude.

Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder would appear to be a logical replacement, but there have yet to be any serious talk about the Dutch star making a move to Emirates.

Arsenal have already been rejected by Everton for a bid for Phil Jagielka. Wenger offered about £10 million while Everton sought about £20 million.

Wenger may need more funds to fill some holes as players are leaving more than they are coming, but reinforcements may already be on the way.

The Guardian basically confirmed the Daily Mail's Sunday report that Emmanuel Eboue would be sold to Galatasaray for £4 million. With left back Gael Clichy already gone, and now Eboue likely on his way out, this leads to more questions about the depth of Arsenal's defense, but should open the door to a new signing.

Jagielka, Gary Cahill, Christopher Samba, and Scott Dann are still available, and there are few teams that have made a real effort to reach out to any of the central defenders.

Wenger has already stated that he will be going after a defender. However, Wenger has yet to mention adding another forward, so Gervinho might be the only addition to the club.

Karim Benzema might be the player to pursue, but like Sneijder, there has been little talk about being an Arsenal target. The Real Madrid forward has been somewhat out of favour under Jose Mourinho, and only has one year remaining on his contract with a suggested price tag at £7 million.

"Signing [Benzema] does not seem impossible," Wenger said back in May to the Sun and the Mirror. "He's a player that I like."

Meanwhile, in somewhat of a curious move, The Times has reported that Arsenal are interested in signing defensive midfielder Lucas Biglia, fresh off Argentina's miserable campaign on their home field in Copa America. Arsenal seem to have the defensive midfielder position well covered with Alex Song, and perhaps Aaron Ramsey, as well as Thomas Vermaelen.

Yet another odd rumour is Metro reporting that Arsenal has interest in Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy. The 20-year-old Ireland star is one of the most promising young midfielders in the Premier League and would be joined by another burgeoning midfielder in Jack Wilshere.

To have both young midfielders in the lineup would be a very unique experiment for a club that still positions itself to contend for the EPL title.

It may seem a little strange that Arsenal still don't have a central defender, still lack a world-class partner for Robin van Persie, and don't have suitable replacements for Cesc Fabregas and Nasri, should they move on.

In other words, there is plenty of work to be done before the start of the season.