Emirates Stadium side monitoring Villa Park duo.
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Arsenal are reportedly monitoring Aston Villa full-back Matthew Lowton and striker Christian Benteke with a view to a potential summer bid for the pair’s services.
Arsene Wenger is said to be impressed by the displays put in by the young pair and may be more likely to follow up such interest with an offer should Paul Lambert’s side fail to beat the drop.
Aston Villa’s young side have begun to gel in recent weeks, with a run of three wins in four helping to drag the club out of the relegation zone, though by no means out of danger lying as they do just two points clear of the drop.
Wenger is scouting a number of right-back talents as speculation grows over Bacary Sagna’s Arsenal future and this has led to a renewed interest in 23 year old full-back Lowton, who has been a big success in his debut season at Aston Villa during which the Chesterfield born wide-man has played every single minute of the Premier League season and this weekend scored a spectacular long range goal to help his side defeat Stoke City.
Though Arsene Wenger has youngster Carl Jenkinson to call upon as a potential long term replacement for Sagna, should the Frenchman leave at the end of the current campaign, the Arsenal boss is keen to bring in another player to battle for the right-back berth, hence his interest in Lowton.
Wenger is also very interested in in-form Belgian striker Benteke, who has been a hugely effective attacking weapon for Lambert’s side, without whom Aston Villa may well already be doomed.
The former Racing Genk man has racked up 19 goals in all competitions this season, including ten in his last 11 appearances, and is a player who is said to also interest a number of other Premier League sides including Tottenham and Arsene Wenger would appear to see the 22 year old as a potential addition to help boost his Emirates Stadium strike-force.
Aston Villa spent £7m on Benteke and would demand a fee in excess of double that outlay and that is seemingly a price Wenger and other managers would be keen to pay but a lot would depend greatly on whether the powerful forward would push for a Villa Park exit, which would presumably become more plausible if Lambert failed to keep his side in the Premier League.