Sections of the English press believe that Arsene Wenger is gearing up for a major summer makeover of his Gunners squad.

The Daily Mirror begins this particular round of rumour and speculation, by reporting that Wenger is ready to sign Ajax central defender Jan Vertonghen.

The report claims that Wenger has stolen ahead of his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Harry Redknapp to claim the services of Thomas Vermaelen's international teammate.

Vertonghen is an interesting potential acquisition. On the face of it, Arsenal have no need for another central defender. Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny are a capable partnership and Per Mertesacker should be free of injury by next season.

Wenger also has Johan Djourou, who recently agreed to a new deal, as well as promising Spanish youngster Ignasi Miquel.

Yet Vertonghen is a rising star, who is a technically gifted defender with the versatility that would likely appeal to Wenger. The Belgian ace can operate as a defensive midfielder of full-back. His best position in the current Arsenal squad might be left back, where both Kieran Gibbs and Andre Santos have been suspect defensively.

Elsewhere in the Mirror, a story quoting Dutch legend Marco van Basten indicates that Vertonghen is just one part of a £65 million spree, that is also set to include Athletic Bilbao's Javier Martinez.

The 23-year-old Basque prodigy is a stout and intelligent ball player who can play either central defense or in a holding midfield role. A fee of around £20 million is mentioned.

With Alex Song recently linked with a move to Juventus, Martinez would be a more disciplined presence in front of the back four. He could replace Song, or even allow the Cameroon man to operate further forward, where this author believes he would be particularly effective.

The Daily Mail has re-ignited the rumours linking Arsenal with Borussia Dortmund starlet Mario Gotze. Apparently Wenger is willing to spend as much as £25 million to land the precocious attacking midfielder.

Gotze has predominantly operated in a wide role during his short career. He excels when cutting in from the flanks. His signing could complete a new-look front three, comprised of Robin van Persie, Gotze and maybe Lukas Podolski.

This starting combination would raise serious doubts about the futures of Theo Walcott and Gervinho and also push youngsters such as Ryo Miyaichi further down the pecking order.

Gotze's best fit for Arsenal might be as a central schemer. From the middle of the field, he could direct the play and give the Gunners the flair and creative temperament that has been missing since the departure of Cesc Fabregas.

With Tomas Rosicky now 31 and Aaron Ramsey struggling to firmly establish himself, Gotze could be the playmaker of choice next season.

Finally, in the latest batch of Lukas Podolski speculation, the Daily Telegraph reports the player himself refuting rumours of a completed deal with Arsenal. However, there have simply been too many stories involving this deal to not believe there is some truth to the speculation. 

Podolski is at his most potent on the left side of a front three. Many have wondered whether the German international would partner, backup or even replace Van Persie.

The real question is: What would Podolski's arrival mean for Gervinho?

The Ivory Coast forward has played sparingly since the Africa Cup of Nations. Wenger could be resting him following his international exertions, or his omission could be a sign of a loss of confidence.

Another outcome of putting Poldolski on the left would be that Gervinho could switch over to the right side, which he where starred for former club Lille.

With the contract futures of Van Persie and Walcott still undecided, signing Poldolski could be Wenger's way of covering the club against the potential exit of two key players. In this scenario, Wenger would avoid being caught cold like he was this summer by the defections of Fabregas and Samir Nasri.