Arsenal have been offered a chance to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-back Manuel Akanji this summer, as reported by The Sun. The representatives of Manuel Akanji have offered the defender to various clubs, especially to those in the Premier League with Arsenal being the potential buyers.
The Gunners have a busy summer and are trying to navigate their way through the transfer market after missing out on the Champions League. To bolster his defensive department, Mikel Arteta has prioritised his desire to sign a defender this summer.
Manuel Akanji has been falling out of favour at Borussia Dortmund. The Swiss international made 26 appearances and scored a solitary goal (stats via Transfermarkt) last season. Now, with the sacking of head coach Marco Rose and the recent signings of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck, it rather seems difficult for the 26-year-old to find his way into the first team.
Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in bringing the Dortmund defender to the Emirates this summer given the centre-back is an international teammate of Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Arsenal are lining up Borussia Dortmund CB Manuel Akanji for £25m after opening talks in January.
He is the type of powerful figure Arteta is believed to be keen on.
He already plays alongside Xhaka at international level, having won 22 caps.
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Borussia Dortmund have set the asking price at £21 million. However, it is unlikely that Manuel Akanji will be an attractive option for the North London club, as Arteta is strongly chasing to sign a left-footed centre-back who will be a backup for Gabriel Magalhaes.
To challenge and likely compete with Ben White and Rob Holding, William Saliba is set to return to the Emirates ahead of the new season. After a successful loan spell with the French side Marseille, Saliba has revealed he “belongs to Arsenal” and admitted that his future lies with the Gunners.
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Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta will be looking forward to sprucing up his backline by exploring various defensive targets in this transfer window. Moreover, Manchester United were also linked with Manuel Akanji. But it is uncertain if Erik ten Hag is keen on getting his signature before addressing a plethora of issues at Old Trafford.
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