Arsenal face a battle with Chelsea to secure Luis Enrique as Arsene Wenger's successor.

The Sun says the Gunners want the ex-Barcelona boss as Wenger's replacement, while billionaire Blues owner Roman Abramovich was already in advanced talks with the Spaniard to replace Antonio Conte.

Enrique, 47, is the bookies' tip for the Emirates hotseat after Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira and Celtic chief Brendan Rodgers yesterday seemed to rule themselves out.

Arsenal and Chelsea have both spoken to Enrique — but the Blues' talks have stalled over the Spaniard's demands to bring in a substantial backroom team following his year off from football.

At Barcelona, Enrique worked with five coaches, four physios and a psychologist on his way to two La Liga titles and a Champions League triumph.

And Arsenal are set to pounce after starting the process of replacing Wenger, who will step down at the end of this season following 22 years in charge.

The Gunners want a training-ground coach, rather than manager who will recruit players.