Arsenal Set To Hold Formal Talks After Making €20m Bid For Man Utd Target

With the January transfer set to open for business, managers are getting ready to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal have made an offer for Ilkay Gundogan….

Arsenal are set to hold face-to-face talks with Borussia Dortmund over the signing of Manchester United target Ilkay Gundogan after tabling a €20m offer for the midfielder, according to reports.

Gundogan’s future at the Westfalonstadion has come under serious doubt in recent weeks as reports have suggested that despite Dortmund’s attempts to negotiate an extension, the midfielder has supposedly made it clear he has no intention of signing a new deal as he wants to try his luck in the Premier League.

The German international has just 18 months left on his current contract and it’s understood that Dortmund chiefs have told the player that unless he commits his future to the club, they will be forced to sell as they want to avoid a repeat of the situation that saw them lose Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer.

The uncertainty has alerted a whole host of clubs with reports last week claiming that Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was interested in luring Gundogan to Old Trafford, while Arsenal have also been strongly linked with a move for the all-action midfielder.

However, it appears the Gunners have now stolen a march on their rivals as the Metro are citing reports coming out of Spain which suggest that Arsenal are set to hold face-to-face talks with Dortmund chiefs after submitting a €20m offer.

The newspaper states that Dortmund are ‘seriously considering’ the North Londoners offer and Arsene Wenger is believed to be determined to bring the 24-year-old to the Emirates this month.

The Frenchman is on the look-out for reinforcements in defence and midfield after seeing his options in both areas decimated by injuries this season and Gundogan would act as the ideal long-term replacement for Mikel Arteta if he makes the move to London.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer new

The big worry for any buying club would be the fact that the player has only recently returned from a serious back injury that saw him miss the whole of last season, so Arsenal, or indeed Man Utd, will need to ensure that that injury has been eradicated before they commit €20m to his signature.

It remains to be seen how much truth there is in these reports but if they are accurate and Gundogan is given the all-clear, then he’d be an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad as he was emerging as one of the best deep laying midfielders in Europe before he was sidelined with his back injury.