Emirates Stadium side to make move for box to box performer.
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Arsenal are reportedly readying a summer bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender according to TuttoMercato.
The North London side apparently see the German international as a replacement for Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard having put in a series of average displays in recent months.
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Arsene Wenger is ready to offer €22m (£18m) for the 24 year old, who is now into his fifth season at the BayArena, and could become the latest German recruit at the Emirates Stadium.
Bender was a pivotal member of a Sami Hyypia squad that clinched a Champions League berth last term and has continued to impress this term with Bayer Leverkusen sitting in second spot behind all conquering Bayern Munich.
Lars Bender is a strong running box to box performer who has a great engine and could offer a more effective rounded option than Arteta.
The former 1860 München man is now a regular in Joachim Low’s German national team set-up and his profile is only likely to rise at the 2014 World Cup finals so one imagines Wenger will seek to make a move for Bender as early as possible.
Bender may be tempted by a move to join national team colleagues Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski at Arsenal.
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