Spurs set to step up bid for long-time Arsenal target’s brother
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After getting rid of French holding-midfield pair Etienne Capoue and Benjamin Stambouli this summer, Tottenham have turned their attention to Borussia Dortmund anchorman Sven Bender, according to the MIrror.
The 26-year-old has made 100 Bundesliga starts for BvB since making his debut six years ago, but a series of injuries over the past two seasons have seen him slip down the pecking order at Westfalenstadion.
Bender was an unused substitute in both Dortmund’s German Cup final loss to Wolfsburg in May, and their 1-0 Europa League qualifying win away to Wolfsberger in midweek, so he faces a helluva battle to regain prominence.
Spurs could be riding to the rescue, with an £18m bid thought to be in the offing now boss Mauricio Pochettino has given up hope of landing Everton’s James McCarthy, and with only Nabil Bentaleb able to perform the holding role effectively among his current crop.
Arsenal have been linked with the seven-cap Germany international in the past, but Bender’s twin brother Lars, who has racked up 12 more international appearances and plays for Bayer Leverkusen, has long been thought an object of Arsene Wenger’s midfield desires.
A raft of Germans have been linked with a move to White Hart Lane in recent days, including World Cup winner Christoph Kramer and explosive Schalke forward Sidney Sam, while reports of a move for 19-year-old Stuttgart prodigy Timo Werner have also surfaced.
The Mirror carries Spurs transfer news from France too, claiming Lyon have rejected an £8m Lilywhites move for Cameroon striker Clinton N’Jie.
There may be even less to this rumour than meets the eye, as Les Gones president Jean-Michel Aulas tweeted in recent days that a similar story regarding N’Jie carried by French newspaper Le Parisien was ‘lies’.
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