Arsenal are reportedly keen on Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji and could be plotting a £25m raid this summer to bolster their defensive options.
The 24-year-old has made 34 appearances so far this season as he continues to play a key role for the Bundesliga giants since joining them from Basel in 2018.
With his strength, speed and defensive ability, he would arguably be a top addition for most sides to help them shore things up at the back, with Dortmund having the sixth-best defensive record in the Bundesliga so far this season as they remain in the hunt for the title after the campaign resumed last weekend.
However, as reported by The Sun, via FussballTransfers.com, Arsenal could look to try and prise him away from Lucien Favre’s squad, with Mikel Arteta seemingly looking to bolster his options at the back as a £25m swoop could be lined up.
The Gunners have undoubtedly improved defensively, and in general, since Arteta was appointed in December as they have conceded just nine goals in their last 13 games across all competitions.
That said, they’ve got the third worst defensive record of the top nine sides in the Premier League table after letting in 36 goals in 28 games, and so there is arguably still room for improvement in that department.
With that in mind, it appears as though Akanji may have been identified as an option to help them in that area, but time will tell if they can convince Dortmund to green light an exit for the Swiss international given his ongoing importance to them.
After a relatively quiet January transfer window, Arteta will arguably be hoping that he has an opportunity to stamp his mark on the squad this summer and bring in players suited to his ideas and plans moving forward.
However, the level of that spending could heavily depend on their ability to qualify for the Champions League as well as the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, and so it remains to be seen if Akanji is seen as a priority in the transfer window as he’ll also have William Saliba at his disposal next season after he returns from his loan spell away from the club to compete alongside the likes of David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and Rob Holding.