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Midfielder Keen On Move As Arsenal Eye €25m Bid

By on December 3, 2014

According to reports, Arsenal are eyeing a €25m (£20m) bid for German international midfielder Christoph Kramer as an alternative to top target Sami Khedira.

A new holding midfielder is believed to be a priority for Arsene Wenger and although many fans want to see him bring someone in this winter, it seems the boss may be prepared to hold out until the summer to get his key targets.

Khedira was strongly linked last summer before he decided to remain at Real Madrid and potentially see-out the final year of his contract at the Bernabeu.

Reports in Spain suggest he remains Wenger’s No.1 target but his signing is going to be extremely difficult due to his wage demands and the fact that the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United are all also keen.

Therefore, Arsene has drawn up a list of alternatives to Khedira and according to the Daily Star, international team-mate Christoph Kramer has emerged as a key target.

Kramer is in the second season of a two-year loan at Borussia Monchengladbach after failing to make the breakthrough at his parent club Bayer Leverkusen and he’s been putting in some superb displays over the past 18 months.

It seems those performances have impressed Wenger and his team of scouts as the Star claim we are now lining-up a €25m (£20m) offer – however, any potential deal will have to wait until the summer when his loan deal ends.

Kramer has previously indicated he wont be forced to stay at Leverkusen and has been quoted as saying he is open to a move to the Premier League. When asked about a potential switch to England, the 23-year-old said:

“That [moving abroad] has always interested me. I would not be afraid.

“I want to find out what my limit is and I always strive for the very best.”

It’s going to be extremely interesting to see what Arsene does regarding a holding midfielder in January. For me, a defensive midfielder should have been signed in the summer so I think it would be a mistake if Wenger doesn’t do all he can to bring one in during the January window.

But it’s never easy to land big players mid-season. Khedira would be worth waiting until the summer for but we’d have to be confident of winning the race for his signature. Ideally, we’d get him to sign a pre-contract agreement next month, but I can’t see that happening.

Kramer’s an interesting option but I’m not convinced he’s worth hanging around until the summer for when we desperately need someone in January.

My gut feeling is Arsene may try and sign someone on a short-term loan this winter – similar to Kim Kallstrom last January – and wait to land a top target in the summer. It will be a huge risk and he’ll certainly take flack from the fans, but I have a feeling that’s what he’ll end up doing.

The agent of 32-year-old Lazio midfielder Cristian Ledesma has claimed we’re showing a keen interest in him, so that’s one to keep a close eye on over the next few weeks….

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