Arsenal Transfer News: Lars Bender The Perfect Replacement For Mikel Arteta

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

With the summer transfer window drawing ever closer, Arsenal are believed to be re-igniting their interest in Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender as Arsene Wenger looks for a long-term replacement for Mikel Arteta.

The Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel reports Wenger is still very impressed with the German midfielder and will once again attempt to sign Bender this summer, with Leverkusen previously turning down a 19 million bid. Mokbel says:

Arsenal are preparing to make another bid for Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender after failing to sign the midfielder last summer.

Arsene Wenger and his backroom team have been hugely impressed with the German international for over a year and see him as the ideal physical presence to allow their attacking midfielders to perform.

Arteta will be turning 32 before the end of the season, and while the Spaniard is still capable of playing at the highest level, the search for a future replacement is reportedly on.

As the report suggests, Wenger has long been a fan of Bender, and it's easy to see why. The 24-year-old German is one of the better box-to-box midfielders in all of Europe and seems to be ready for the step up to the next level.

Out of all midfielders who played in the UEFA Champions League this season, Bender ranked second in tackles per game (per Whoscored.com), trailing only Juventus' Arturo Vidal, arguably the top midfielder in all of football right now.

The Gunners have a strong midfield filled with creative players that fit Wenger's mentality, but the team lacks an enforcer who can keep opposing midfielders at bay. Finding a player capable of filling that role in Arsenal's system, which requires all of its midfielders to be very technically capable, is no easy feat.

Wenger seems to believe Bender would be able to fill that role, however, and for the second straight summer window, the French boss will attempt to bring the German international to the Emirates.

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Arsenal Transfer News: Lars Bender The Perfect Replacement For Mikel Arteta