Arsenal need to sell Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lucas Torreira, insists club icon Charlie Nicholas

CHARLIE NICHOLAS has told Arsenal to flog their flop stars Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lucas Torreira to fund a major rebuild at the Emirates.

Gunners hero Nicholas claims all three players - among the biggest names at the club - should be offloaded as Unai Emery can improve the side's problem defence.

Emery has been told there is only £40million available to him to bring in new faces this summer as their restricted budget bites hard.

And Nicholas is in no doubt the action the Arsenal boss needs to take so he can make the changes the team so desperately needs.

He told Sky Sports: "We’re being slow again in the market.

"The manager has identified plenty of options. Defensively is the key area.

NEW DEFENCE

"I just hope we don’t delay these deals. Arsenal need to get into the market.

"We can’t afford someone like Aaron Wan-Bissaka but we need a whole new defence really.

"We need three defenders to come in which will cost £60-£70m.

"Who can they get out of the door? If you can get the right offer for Mesut Ozil you’d sell.

"Mkhitaryan can go and you want to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

"Torreira seems to be interested in going back to Italy. If you can get the right money: take it."

Arsenal would love to get the £350,000-a-week wages of Ozil off their books but are finding it hard to get anyone to take him, even by offering to pay some of his salary.

Torreira has been linked with a move back to Italy with AC Milan having struggled to make a real impact last season despite an impressive first few matches for the club.

And Mkhitaryan has found it hard to make any lasting impression since arriving in North London in the deal which took Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United 18 months ago.