Wenger Impressed With Flamini But Refuses to Discuss Benzema Reports

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has refused to be drawn on speculation regarding bids for Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria, but has been impressed by the efforts of former Gunner Mathieu Flamini in training.

The France midfielder is a free agent after leaving AC Milan at the end of his contract in June and has spent the last two weeks training with the Gunners, sparking speculation that the club may offer him a contract with defensive midfield options lacking.

The 29-year-old's efforts have pleased Wenger, but the Frenchman has remained coy on the prospect of recruiting his former midfielder for a second time.

"He is just here to work on his fitness and he does that very well," Wenger said of Flamini, speaking in a press conference on Friday morning.

"I don't say there is no chance and I don't say there is a chance (of him joining)."

With growing pressure on the Arsenal boss to make significant summer signings before the transfer window closes in under two weeks, the club have been heavily linked with an extraordinary £80m bid for Real Madrid duo Benzema and Di Maria.

But perhaps rather predictably, Wenger was unwilling to discuss the matter, stating: "I don't want to speak about names; you (the media) do that very well."

The Gunners have been unsuccessful in their attempts to bring established talent to the Emirates this summer. Gonzalo Higuain and Luiz Gustavo both opted for moves to Napoli and Wolfsburg respectively despite strong interest from north London, while Wenger yesterday admitted defeat in his public pursuit of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

Benzema, Di Maria and Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye would appear to be the latest batch of targets on the radar and Wenger remains assured of bringing in new faces, despite the clock ticking on the transfer window.

"Yes, I am confident that we'll make the signings we need because of the desire of the players to join us," the Arsenal boss continued.

"There's also the fact that while we maybe don't have as much money as everybody writes, we have some funds available to do transfers.

"We've worked on it very hard but it hasn't come off as quickly and as well as we wanted. You'd be surprised how early we acted.

"In our job you can spend a lot of time not going on holiday and work on things without it coming off.

"In football you have to deal with any situation and be patient. As long as the window is open, anything can happen until the last minute."