The Gunners are said to be preparing a £30 million (R560 million) bid for Gomes as new boss Unai Emery looks to continue the club's aggressive transfer business.
However, the north London club may miss out as Barca are ready to offer Chelsea £44 million (R772 million) plus Gomes in a bid to lure away Kante, who joined the Blues in a £32m deal in 2016 following his starring role during Leicester City's Premier League title success.
However, Juventus, who recently completed the signing of five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, are also said to be interested in moves for both Kante and Gomes, setting up and intriguing transfer saga which could like stretch to the very last few hours of the on-going transfer window.