According to a report in Spanish publication El Confidencial, Arsenal have made a bid for Spanish international winger Santi Cazorla, although they face stiff competition from Tottenham Hotspur who are eyeing the player as a possible replacement for Luka Modric.

Arsene Wenger is understood to be a long-term admirer of the fleet-footed wideman with the boss thought to have lodged a bid for the player last summer while he was still at Villarreal.

Gazumped on that occasion by big-spending-Qatari-owned Malaga, who spent a whopping €21 million, it looks as though the 2007 Spanish Player of the Year will again be on the move with the Andaluscian outfit ready to sell their most high profile stars due to serious financial problems. Last week Villarreal reported Malaga to UEFA claiming that more than €3.5 million of Cazorla’s transfer fee was still owed to them.

Jose Salomon Rondon (also linked with the Gunners this summer) and Nacho Monreal are also set for an exit with reports circling that Malaga have been unable to pay their players in recent months.

Able to play on either wing Cazorla’s acquisition could be seen as pre-emptive cover for the loss of Theo Walcott (should he not sign a new contract) or as a replacement for Andrei Arshavin, whose future at the Emirates still appears uncertain.