All the talk at Arsenal right now is about the attempt to bring Thomas Lemar to the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger is doing all he can to land the France international, but so far Monaco are refusing to let their 21-year-old winger leave the Stade Louis II.

Two bids have been rejected and while another in the region of £50 million is expected, the Ligue 1 champions will more than likely knock that one back as well as they continue to play hardball.

It seems that unless Arsenal front up €80 million, Lemar will be going nowhere this summer.

That's a figure the Gunners are highly unlikely to stretch to so they may have to look elsewhere - and Riyad Mahrez is believed to be the next man down on the list of potential attacking midfield arrivals at the Emirates.

There have been reports from France today that the Leicester City star is now a 'serious option' for Wenger due to the difficulties being encountered with the Lemar deal

Mahrez - who wants out of the King Power Stadium - has already been sounded out by the Gunners about a possible move this summer.

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Now I’ve seen plenty turn their nose up at the prospect of Mahrez arriving at Arsenal and I’m not quite sure why - I think he would be a fine addition.

He wasn’t great last season for Leicester, that was pretty clear, but his heart wasn’t in it anymore. He’d asked to leave before the season started but was eventually persuaded to stay to help with the Foxes’ Champions League campaign.

Arsenal training session in Beijing. View gallery

That proved to be a mistake - you could see by his body language that the spark had gone out of a player who had lit up the Premier League just a few months earlier.

Despite being far from his best, however, he still managed to score 10 goals and pick up five assists during what was a turbulent - and pretty dreadful - title defence from Leicester.

And in the Champions League, where he was clearly playing to the top of his ability, he scored four goals in nine appearances while setting up another two.

So it’s clear the talent is still there and that his stunning 2015/16 campaign wasn’t just a one off. He just needs to get away from Leicester to rediscover his spark, he could do that at Arsenal.

It’s easy to forget that just over 12 months ago Mahrez was deservedly named the PFA player of the year. He found the net 17 times during that remarkable campaign which saw Leicester stun the football world and win the title, he also set up 11.

Mahrez has it all in his locker. He scores goals, he makes them and he can play in a number of positions in the attacking third.

Should Arsenal bring him in this summer, he would be an excellent capture - one that would significantly bolster Arsene Wenger’s options going forward.

Do you think Mahrez would be a good signing? Let us know by leaving a comment below