According to reports from The Express this morning, Arsenal are preparing an £18million bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender.
The 26 year-old is the tough-tackling dynamo of the Bundesliga outfit’s midfield, last season averaging an imperious 4.4 tackles per match in the Champions League.
He’s also a regular within the Germany fold, boasting four goals and 19 caps since 2011, and has even filled in as the national team’s emergency right-back on occasion.
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Earlier this summer, Bender was linked with Manchester City as a potential alternative to Juventus star Paul Pogba, whilst Manchester United were also said to be interested – although they’ve now signed likeminded enforcers Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin.
According to The Express, however, the Gunners are now the front-runners for the 6 foot midfielder’s signature with an £18million bid in the pipeline. The report comes after Arsenal scouts were spotted at Bayer’s Champions League play-off clash with Lazio last week.
Bender’s arrival would likely spell the end of Mathieu Flamini’s Emirates career. He’s been linked with moves to Turkish outfit Galatasaray and Bastia in Ligue 1 and is yet to feature for the Gunners this season.