Monday, 1st July, 2013
Bayer Leverkusen find themselves fending off interest once again for midfielder Lars Bender after a €23m offer from Premier League giants Arsenal was turned down, according to Germany daily Express.
Leverkusen managing director Wolfgang Holzhauser was quick to stamp out what was the Gunners’ second bid for the player, with a previous attempt having come last month.
Bender has become a hot target in recent years, having already become a near-regular with Germany’s national team.
He joined Leverkusen in 2009 and has since made 140 appearances for the club with 12 goals adding to his value.
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He was subject to a bid from Bayern Munich last year, alongside his team-mate Andre Schurrle, but sporting director Rudi Voller had denied them the move.
With Schurrle moving to Chelsea this year, it remains to be seen if Leverkusen have the mettle to hold on to their key players.
They have been criticised from within their ranks, most notably by captain Simon Rolfes, for not balancing departures with a few major signings.
Daniel Carvajal saw his buy-back option activated by Real Madrid, while Chelsea’s capture of Schurrle did not result in a move for Kevin De Bruyne the other way as was expected by Leverkusen.
The only major attacking signing so far for Leverkusen has been the transfer of Son Heung-Min from Hamburg, despite interest from Liverpool.
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