£21 Million Borussia Dortmund Defender Offered To Arsenal

Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji is eyeing a move to the Premier League after being made available to Arsenal for £21 million, according to the Sun.

The centre-back was a main fixture in Marco Rose’s XI last season but the departure of the German manager, alongside the recent arrivals of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterback, has left the 26-year-old braced for an exit, this season.

Entering the final year of his contract with Dortmund, Akanji’s representatives have reportedly been in talks with the Gunners in an attempt to engineer a move away from the Signal Iduna Park, with the £21-million asking price expected to drop in coming weeks.

In a move that would see the defender join forces with his international team-mate Granit Xhaka, the prospects of seeing Akanji in the red and white of Arsenal don’t look as optimistic, with William Saliba set to return and hold his place in the first-team fresh from an accolade-filled campaign with Olympique Marseille on loan.

The Frenchman made his willingness to continue at Arsenal clear, despite a three-year-wait for a debut with the North Londoners, in a recent interview with French outlet Telefoot.

The Ligue 1 Rookie of the Year is expected to challenge the likes of Benjamin White and Gabriel Magalhães ahead of the new season after stating, “I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true talent and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.

“But it doesn’t just depend on me,” Saliba added, opening up the prospect for further doubts and potential changes regarding Mikel Arteta’s backline.

Akanji has seen his name associated with a Premier League switch on more than one occasion with Manchester United previously reportedly registering their interest earlier this year.