Arsenal + Man Utd To Hold Formal Talks Over Potential €37.5m Defender Deal

The summer transfer window is now reaching its climax and managers are working hard to make some last minute additions to their squad, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal and Man Utd are set to hold talks over Mehdi Benatia.

Roma officials are flying in to the UK to hold formal talks with Arsenal and Manchester United about a potential €37.5m deal for defender Mehdi Benatia, according to reports.

Benatia enjoyed a superb debut season with Roma last year following his move from Udinese in 2013, with his impressive displays at the back helping Rudi Garcia’s side to a second-placed finish in Serie A behind eventual champions Juventus.

The 27-year-old’s performances have attracted interest from a whole host of top clubs throughout Europe with the likes of Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea among those understood to be keeping a close eye on the players situation.

It’s believed the Moroccan international would ideally prefer a move to Bayern but the Express claim that Roma have now walked away from negotiations after the German champions refused to match their €37.5m (£30m) asking price having seen there €30m (£24m) offer rejected.

It looks as though the Bundesliga giants could now miss out as the newspaper suggests that Roma directors Walter Sabatini and Mauro Baldissoni are now due to arrive in England to hold formal talks with Arsenal and United about a potential deal for the powerful centre-back.

It remains to be seen whether the Premier League duo will be willing to meet the Italians asking price of €37.5m but the Mirror claim that Benatia has been left out of Roma’s squad to face AEK Athens in a friendly on Saturday, so it looks like he could well be on the move and he would be an excellent addition to either squad if they were able to get a deal done.

United have recently signed Marco Rojo but Louis van Gaal could still be on the look-out for further reinforcements having lost Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand this summer, and Benatia would be just the kind of player to add depth to his defensive options.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is also looking for a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen – who joined Barcelona earlier this month – and while youngster Calum Chambers has impressed since his move from Southampton, Benatia would be an experienced alternative to Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny at the back this season.

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We’ll have to see how things develop over the coming days but with just 10 days remaining until the transfer window closes, Arsenal and United will be keen to try and get things wrapped up quickly.