Football: Rooney and Fellaini top Arsenal's transfer hitlist as Wenger prepares to splash the cash

Wayne Rooney remains Arsenal's dream signing this summer after chief executive Ivan Gazidis gave the green light to mammoth summer spree.

                                London bound? Wayne Rooney is one of a number of high-profile players being chased by Arsenal

A number of sports reporters revealed last month how the Gunners were prepared to smash through all their financial boundaries to land Rooney this summer.

Arsenal hope a package of around £170,000-per-week and a multi-million pound signing on fee - plus the security of a five year contract - could persuade Rooney to take a pay cut from his current £250,000-per-week deal at Old Trafford, that has two years left to run.

Everton's Marouane Fellaini and Bayern Munich's Luis Gustavo have both been monitored by Arsenal's scouting network.

Walcott swapped shirts with Van Persie in the tunnel to avoid the wrath of Wenger and Gunners fans

Theo Walcott has avoided an Andre Santos-style backlash from Arsenal fans despite swapping shirts with Robin van Persie on Sunday.

                        Avoiding controversy: Walcott in Van Persie's United shirt which he picked up in the tunnel after the match

The Gunners forward was seen giving a post-match interview wearing a United shirt after the 1-1 draw.  

It belonged to his former Arsenal team-mate Van Persie, with the pair exchanging jerseys in the Emirates Stadium tunnel moments after the final whistle.

Santos was the subject of a furious reaction from supporters after making a beeline to Van Persie at half-time of the Gunners defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Criticised: Santos angered Wenger and Arsenal fans for asking Van Persie to swap shirts at half-time of Arsenal's 2-1 defeat by Manchester   United at Old Trafford last November

He made the approach in full view of TV cameras and Arsenal supporters.

The left back was also criticised by Arsene Wenger for his decision to approach Van Persie for his shirt.

Walcott's wise decision to swap shirts in private has helped avoid a similar storm.

REVEALED: Sir Alex tops the managerial rich list

Sir Alex Ferguson has come out on top of another table —  as British football’s wealthiest manager - with his former midfielder Roy Keane in second place.

                               Winning again: Sir Alex Ferguson is top of the 2013 Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £34million

In the week his Manchester United team regained the Barclays Premier League crown, Ferguson has been named the richest boss in the country with a fortune of £34million.

The 71-year-old, who earns in the region of £7m a year at Old Trafford and owns a string of racehorses, is ahead of his former Old Trafford captain Keane and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

                                                     Ten years at the top: Arsene Wenger is well paid by Arsenal

They are each worth £29m according to the fourth annual Sunday Times Sport Rich List, which accounts for sportsmen in Britain and Ireland.

As a player Keane, the former Sunderland and Ipswich manager, broke through the £100,000-a-week salary mark, while Arsenal boss Wenger continues to be handsomely paid during his long reign at the Emirates

RICHEST FOOTBALL MANAGERS (including former managers of English clubs)

Ranking	Name	Team	2013 wealth	2012 wealth
1	Sir Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	£34m	£32m
2=	Roy Keane	Ex Ipswich Town and Sunderland	£29m	£29m
2=	Arsene Wenger	Arsenal	£29m	£26m
4=	Roberto Mancini	Manchester City	£21m	£18m
4=	Giovanni Trapattoni	Ireland	£21m	£20m
6	Sven-Goran Eriksson	Ex England and Leicester City	£16m	£16m
7=	Steve Bruce	Hull	£14m	£14m
7=	Mark Hughes	Ex-QPR	£14m	£11m
9	Harry Redknapp	QPR	£13m	£12m
10=	Rafa Benitez	Chelsea	£12m	New
10=	Roy Hodgson	England	£12m	£11m
10=	Martin O'Neill	Sunderland	£12m	£10m

Football: Arsenal target Schalke hotshot Draxler as Wenger prepares to open £70m transfer kitty.

Highly-rated Schalke teenager Julian Draxler is on Arsene Wenger's summer transfer list as the Arsenal manager prepares to splurge a £70m transfer kitty.

The German midfielder, who has four caps for his country, has been extensively scouted by Arsenal this season according The Sun, and they will hope to beat a number of big clubs to his signature.

The Bundesliga club are willing to sell Draxler, 19, for around £15m, something Arsenal should be willing to sanction as they splash the cash to end an eight-year trophy drought.Draxler has 11 goals and five assist for Schalke this season and became the youngest player to make 100 competitive appearances for the club against Borussia Dortmund in March.

Arsene Wenger: foreign games get boring after just 20 minutes!

Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger stepped forward last night as a surprise advocate for the physical side of English football.

In the past, Wenger has been an outspoken critic of what he claimed were aggressive tactics deployed by Stoke and Bolton.

He accused Everton of 'intimidation' after a goalless draw at the Emirates on Tuesday but insists he is not on a crusade to banish physical football.

'It is a strength of the English game,' said Wenger. 'As long as the intention is fair from the player who goes into the challenge, that is the most important thing
'Sometimes I watch foreign games and after 20 minutes you’re bored because every time somebody goes down it’s a foul, and you say: 'Come on, that’s not football'. We do not want to lose the strengths and what makes English football attractive