Arsenal will be waiting in the wings to understand the contractual situation of Javi Martinez at Bayern Munich before making an official bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender as the Daily Mail is reporting this week.

Arsenal have been looking to strengthen their defensive midfield position, and ever since the departure of Alex Song, this position has not been filled satisfactorily by any of the club’s midfielders. The Gunners board have been discussing a target list of players who are fit for the role, and among others, Martinez is on top of that list. Reports earlier this week strongly linked the club with a move for Bender, but it has been revealed that Martinez would be given a preference over both players. Bender has been the club captain at Leverkusen, and that would hence be a tougher deal to crack for the London club.

Martinez has been performing at the top of his game both in the league and in the Champions League. However, margin for error at Pep Guardiola’s setup is very slim, and a player can lose his place in the side with a few errors. Martinez may be looking at a more established position in a top European side, and Arsenal can offer that at the Emirates Stadium.