The Gunners were unsuccessful in their pursuit of the Germany international Lars Bender last summer but Arsene Wenger is set to reignite his interest this summer. The 25-year-old is currently out of action with a thigh strain which ended his participation in this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

The north London side had seen a £19 million bid rebuffed by Leverkusen last summer but Wenger is keen to try his luck again this summer, according to Telegraph. The report suggests that Wenger is close to completing a deal for Bender, who signed a new contract with the German club last year.

Mikel Arteta is already 32 and his performances last season were arguably not consistent enough in the holding midfield role. Wenger is planning to replace Arteta with Bender in the defensive midfield role with Wenger keen to lay an assault on the Premier League title in the new season.

Do you think Bender would be a good addition to Arsenal’s squad?