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Arsenal have been monitoring Bayer Leverkusen's £18m-rated midfielder Lars Bender, according to reports.
Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger revealing last week that "the funds are there" for a big signing, but he isn't close signing anyone.
"The funds are there, people know that you have the resources, but the players are not available.
"At the moment, we are not close."
Wenger has had a long-standing interest in the 26-year-old, and scouts watched him play in Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League play-off defeat by Lazio last week, the Mirror have reported.
Bender could compete with Francis Coquelin for the holding midfield berth for the Gunners.
Show all 10 1 /10Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Petr Cech The goalkeeper position has been cause for concern at Arsenal since Jens Lehmann left the club in 2008, but Cech could be the man to finally bring some stability to the role. While Arsenal’s famed attack has never been a problem, their defence and goalkeeper have remained a problem area, but at least with Cech in the side they finally have a safe pair of hands at the back.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Thierry Henry The club legend caused a bit of a stir when Arsene Wenger splashed out £11m on a player who had failed to cut it at Juventus. But something at Arsenal clicked for Henry, and he went on to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer, netting 226 goals in 369 games in all competitions and having his statue erected outside of the Emirates to immortalise his legacy at the club.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Patrick Vieira The man who led Arsenal to the ‘Invincibles’ season arrived in 1996 for the low fee of £3.5m, and he went on to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League. One of the best midfielders to have graced the top flight, Vieira’s exit left Arsenal a hole that to this day they are yet to fill.
Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Cesc Fabregas Stolen from under Barcelona’s nose, a 16-year-old Fabregas arrived in Arsenal’s academy with high hopes of being a first-team regular in a short space of time. He did exactly that, going on to become a key cog in the team that reached the 2006 Champions League final before taking on the armband after Henry’s exit. However, a lack of silverware and the allure of returning to Barcelona saw him depart for close to £30m.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Dennis Bergkamp The Netherlands forward recently saw the 20th anniversary of his move to Arsenal come and go, and it gave Arsenal fans the perfect chance to relive some of his greatest moments at Highbury. Having made his name at Ajax and struggled with Inter Milan, Bergkamp brought ‘Total Football’ to north London and left a legacy that sees him remain one of the greatest players to have graced the Premier League.
Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Nicolas Anelka The striker may have only been at Arsenal for two full seasons and left before he’d even turned 20, but his impact – both on the field and increasing his value – is matched by very few. Arsene Wenger spent just £500,000 on the Frenchman when he was 17 years old to bring him in from Paris Saint-Germain, and he was instrumental in the double-winning season of 1997/98 when Arsenal clawed back a 12-point gap in less than three months to beat Manchester United to the title, plus he scored in the FA Cup final victory against Newcastle. He left at the end of the following season, with Real Madrid splashing over £22m to sign him in the summer.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Sol Campbell Much like the move for Cech, Campbell caused controversy when he came from a rival club in Tottenham Hotspur. The problem for Spurs fans’ is that the centre-back ran down his contract to leave White Hart Lane on a free transfer, and to this day remains a hate figure for the club due to joining their north London rivals. However, he gave Arsenal five years of loyal service to the Gunners which included a headed goal in the 2006 Champions League final, and he returned to the club in 2010 to help them amid a defensive crisis before retiring in 2011 after a short stint with Newcastle.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Robert Pires Pires cost Arsenal just £6m in 2000 and grew into a firm fan favourite in the ‘Invincibles’ side. His style of play completely suited the Arsenal way, but it was a separate Arsenal policy that brought about his exit as he was only offered a one-year contract when he wanted double that. Villarreal came calling, and he left following the 2006 Champions League near-miss, yet remains a frequent visitor to both the Emirates and Arsenal’s London Colney training base.
Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Marc Overmars Another Dutch great that played for both Ajax and Arsenal, Overmars arrived in London in June 1997 for £7m and lit up the Premier League immediately. His winning goal against Manchester United in 1998 swung the tide in the Gunners’ favour as they surged to the title, and when he moved to Barcelona in 2000, the club made the best part of £20m profit on his re-sale.
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Arsenal's 10 best Premier League signings Gilberto Silva Often the man forgotten in the incredible ‘Invincibles’ side, Gilberto’s full effect was seen after he left the club in 2008. Much of his impact went unnoticed, but once he left it was clear to see that Arsenal could not cope with out his defensive nous and ability to protect the back four. Francis Coquelin has shown signs that he could be the first player to fill that role to a similar level since Gilberto left, but he still has a long way to go.
Bender has won 19 caps for the German national team, but played no part of their World Cup success last season. He was named in the provisional 30-man squad, but was forced to withdraw after picking up a thigh injury in training.
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