Rumour: Arsenal keen on Sven Bender after dropping out of the race for Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas

Sven Bender runs with the ball during the international friendly match between Germany and Australia

Arsenal have made Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender one of their prime transfer targets for the summer according to the Daily Express, after deciding he was more the type of midfielder they would prefer to sign in the summer, withdrawing themselves from any race to sign Cesc Fabregas.

The Spanish midfielder is expected to cause an almighty transfer scuffle between teams at the top of the Premier League after it emerged that he is surplus to requirements at Barcelona, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all keen on signing Fabregas.

Arsenal had held a first refusal clause in the event Fabregas would be sold by Barcelona, but Arsene Wenger has decided he already has too many players in that position, preferring instead to focus his attentions on the defensive side of his midfield.

Bender is the man he has identified as the ideal man to replace the ageing legs of Mikel Arteta, with the German international’s performances in the Bundesliga and Champions League having caught Wenger’s eye and he is preparing a summer bid to bring him to the Emirates, having already endured difficulty attracting brother Lars to north London.

Arteta’s performances at the base of Arsenal’s midfield this season have frustrated some within the Gunners’ fan-base and Wenger himself is thought to be dissatisfied with how easily Arsenal were carved apart in games against the top teams and he believes Bender is the perfect man to arrest the flaws in his side, without damaging the balance or style of the Arsenal set-up.