Emirates Stadium side set to complete long term target signing.
Arsenal target Sami Khedira is closing in on a deal to move to the Emirates Stadium side in January with Real Madrid keen to offload the German when the transfer window reopens.
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The 27 year old is currently sidelined following knee surgery and is four weeks away from a return to action though Arsene Wenger is said to be unconcerned with the midfielder’s recent injury lay-offs and will look to complete a £9m deal to bring in the tough tackler.
Wenger is known to be a long term admirer of the former Stuttgart man and with Khedira’s Bernabeu contract set to expire next summer it is thought that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is happy to accept the £9m offer from the Emirates Stadium side in preference to seeing the World Cup winner leaving the La Liga club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Arsenal could well do with some added steel in the centre of the park and not only is Khedira a more experienced alternative to oft cited targets William Carvalho and Morgan Schneiderlin he is also the most cost effective option to boot.
Khedira missed most of last term though injury but returned to play his part in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph before playing a key role in Joachim Low’s 2014 World Cup winning squad.
Real Madrid are thought to have given Khedira permission to talk with Arsenal knowing that in January he would be free to enter negotiations in any case.
Perez has spent over £200m on new signings over the past couple of years and is keen to cash-in on players who are no longer key to Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and the removal of Khedira’s £130k a week wages from the balance sheet is another motivating factor as the Spanish giants push to sell the box to box performer.
Injury concerns over veteran skipper Mikel Arteta will force Wenger to seek a viable replacement for the Spaniard, with Khedira now his first choice for the role.