Salomon Kalou is looking to return to the Premier League in the summer and has chosen Arsenal as his preferred destination, according to the Daily Star.
The Ivory Coast international played at Chelsea for six years but
never truly won the Stamford Bridge faithful over despite winning the
Champions League with them in 2012.
Chelsea decided to release the player at the end of his contract that
summer where he moved to Lille and has since become something of a
revelation in Ligue 1.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been a long-term admirer of Kalou and
was even linked with a move for him during his Chelsea days.
Now he has had two seasons of consistent first team football, Wenger
has renewed his interest and looks to be in the driving seat to sign him
this summer.
Although Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is also keen to sign Kalou,
it is reported that the player himself would prefer to work under Wenger
at the Emirates Stadium.
Although Liverpool are likely to win the title and are certain to
have Champions League football next season, Kalou would have to compete
with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for a starting place meaning time
on the subs bench is likely.
Kalou can play anywhere across the top line making him a potentially
valuable asset for Wenger, who looks for versatility from his attacking
stars.
Arsenal have suffered from a lack of options up front too many times
this season with Wenger's failure to sign a top class striker cited as
the main reason their title challenge fell away.
Thanks to a clause in Kalou's contract, Arsenal could sign the player
for as little as £2.5m despite the fact he has two-years left on his
current deal.
Kalou has scored a solid 25 goals in 54 appearances in Ligue 1 and
has also attracted the interest of Roma, Milan and Galatasaray in recent
weeks.