Arsenal & Liverpool Open Talks For German Star, Willing To Offer Bumper Contract

As the opening of the summer transfer window approaches, managers are working hard identifying targets and lining-up potential deals so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Arsenal and Liverpool are linked with Sven Bender….

Arsenal and Liverpool are set to go head-to-head over the signing of Sven Bender after opening talks with Borussia Dortmund over a potential deal for the German midfielder, according to Bild.

Bender has been at Dortmund since joining the club from 1860 Munich in 2009 and after an encouraging start to life at the Westfalonstadion, the 26-year-old has struggled to push on and become a vital first team player.

He made just 14 starts in the Bundesliga last season under Jurgen Klopp and it seems new boss Thomas Tuchel doesn’t see Bender as an important part of his starting eleven next season either as the German international is now being linked with a move to the Premier League.

German publication Bild claim that Arsenal and Liverpool are among the clubs who have made contact with Dortmund to hold talks over a potential deal, with the duo willing to hand Bender a huge pay rise on his current €3m-per-year wages.

Arsene Wenger is likely to bring in another holding midfielder to compete with Francis Coquelin next season as Mikel Arteta is coming towards the end of his career while the futures of Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby are in serious doubt.

The Gunners have been linked with a whole host of names in recent months but it appears Bender is now also on Wenger’s radar as he looks to build a squad that’s capable of challenging for the title next year.

However, Liverpool are also in need of midfield reinforcements after Steven Gerrard’s departure and if Bild’s report is accurate, then it looks like Brendan Rodgers is ready to battle-it-out with Arsenal to try and lure Bender to Anfield.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Liverpool transfer news

The holding midfielder struggled for form and fitness last season but a new challenge might be just what he needs to get his career back on track, and it will be interesting to see if Arsenal or Liverpool are able to persuade him to try his luck here in England.

If they could agree a decent fee with Dortmund then I think Bender could be a very shrewd signing for either club, but we’ll have to see how things develop over the coming weeks.