According to reports in England, Fulham FC are interested in signing Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno in the upcoming transfer window. The newly-promoted Premier League side have begun negotiations over a potential move for the German shot-stopper.
The arrival of Aaron Ramsdale from Bournemouth at the beginning of the 2021/22 season has seen the German get demoted to the bench. The Englishman has made an immediate impact with his all-round performances and recently represented the England national team in the UEFA Nations League game against Italy.
Bernd Leno came to Arsenal in a £21.3m deal (according to Transfermarkt) in 2017 after spending three years at Bayer Leverkusen. He was brought in as the first-team keeper and stayed the number one choice until the arrival of Ramsdale. The German has made only four appearances for the Gunners in the Premier League this season (stats via Transfermarkt).
Therefore, the Gunners are willing to let go of the 30-year-old keeper and have set an asking price of £8.5m. Moreover, the shot-stopper has himself refused to rule out a move away from his current club, despite wanting to push for a starting spot at the Emirates.
According to The Athletic, Fulham are considering a move for Bernd Leno and are in talks with Arsenal to sign him. Although the Whites have shortlisted a number of options, the German is the favoured candidate. However, nothing has been agreed yet.
Fulham want Bernd Leno as they are looking to bolster their squad for the upcoming Premier League campaign, following their promotion as Championship winners. Marek Rodak and Paulo Gazzaniga are currently sharing the goalkeeping duties at Craven Cottage. The German keeper would bring a lot of experience into Marco Silva’s side, with nine caps for Germany and having played for Stuttgart and Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Koukoutrigas confirms: „Yes, Fulham is trying hard to get Bernd. Very professionally. This is also true for some other clubs and shows his status. But as I said, for me he is the number 1 at Arsenal and we are therefore also relaxed.“ (2/2)
— Tobi Altschäffl (@altobelli13) June 13, 2022
Nevertheless, multiple clubs have expressed interest in acquiring his services. Benfica are reportedly interested after Leno’s former Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt got appointed as the manager of the Portuguese club recently. Newcastle United and few Bundesliga teams including Bayer Leverkusen are also considering a move for the player.
Verdict:
With the World Cup coming this winter, Leno will need to earn some playing time to get a chance of being selected in the German squad for the tournament. The 30-year-old has been playing backup to Manuel Neuer in the national team for years and is now replaced by Ramsdale at Arsenal too.
Leno was an integral part of the Arsenal squad in the previous seasons that won a FA Cup and made it to a Europa League final. He was part of a leaky Gunners defence and still managed to get 25 clean sheets when he was the number one choice at the club.
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The German shot-stopper has a total of eight appearances during the 2021/22 campaign. He featured three times in the Carabao Cup and once in the FA Cup. With the skillset that Leno possesses, he wouldn’t be too happy being a bench-warmer and it makes sense why he would want to look for a new club.
Under a new manager who trusts him, the German might regain his confidence and show the world what he is capable of. Moreover, Arsenal will have no issues with Leno’s departure as USA international keeper Matt Turner will officially join Arsenal from New England Revolution next season as a backup for Ramsdale.
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