Arsenal prepare bid for £18m German international midfield maestro

Emirates Stadium side line-up move for Bundesliga star.

Arsenal are readying a bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender according to The Sun.

Despite Francis Coquelin’s good run of form it’s clear Arsene Wenger is keen to bring in a strong defensively minded midfielder and having considered moves for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin and AS Monaco youngster Geoffrey Kondogbia it appears Bender tops the Gunners wish-list.

Bender moved to the Bay Arena in 2009 and may now be ready for a fresh challenge and this source claims his asking price would be a very affordable £18m.

The presence of national team colleagues Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker may provide Bender with an extra incentive to consider a move to the Emirates Stadium.