Juventus star eyed as Unai Emery continues defence revolution
ARSENAL are continuing their defensive revolution under Unai Emery after reports linked them to Juventus star Mehdi Benatia.
Posted Sunday, June 24, 2018 by Dailystar.co.uk
Mehdi Benatia was wanted by Arsenal when at Bayern Munich
The Gunners have wasted no time this transfer window, with new boss Emery keen on reinforcing his defensive options.
There is something of a mini-crisis at the back for the Emirates outfit after losing two senior stars at the end of the season.
Per Mertesacker has moved into coaching whilst Laurent Koscielny suffered a shocking Achilles injury which is expected to rule him out until potentially the end of the year.
It comes a year after one of the worse defensive records of Arsene Wenger's reign, conceding 1.34 goals every game.
And according to reports in Italy, Arsenal are vying for the the signature of Benatia - but face competition from Borussia Dortmund.
The ex-Bayern Munich star would bolster the backline, with Emery a big fan reports Gazzetta dello Sport via The Sun.
The Morocco international is contracted to the Serie A champions until 2020 but claims have surfaced revealing a major fallout between Benatia and boss Massimiliano Allegri.
The north London outfit have already raided the Turin giants after signing right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner for free.
Bernd Leno has also signed for Emery's side, whilst deals are in place for defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira and centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
Arsenal are also heavily linked to Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu - with a £35m move reportedly touted.
Meanwhile, Juve are not just fighting off bids for Benatia for fellow centre-back Daniele Rugani too.
Chelsea have reportedly had a £26.5m bid rebuffed by the Old Lady but the Blues may return with an improved offer.
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