Arsenal and Leicester City are locked in a transfer battle for the services of Bayer Leverkusen’s wantaway defender Jonathan Tah.
According to a recent report from SportBild, as relayed by Sport Witness, Arsenal are rivalling Leicester City in the pursuit of Jonathan Tah. The Bayer Leverkusen centre-back is believed to be keen on leaving the club and intends to move to England, putting the two Premier League giants on red alert.
Leverkusen themselves have already started preparing for life without some of their key players, as they are eyeing a summer swoop for FC Schalke’s defensive starlet Ozan Kabak. Liverpool will not be triggering his permanent purchase clause this summer after securing the services of Ibrahima Konate.
Arsenal’s interest in Tah, meanwhile, stems from the lack of quality in the defensive unit. Although the Gunners were among the most solid teams in the Premier League last season, the lack of coherence between Gabriel Magalhaes, Pablo Mari and Rob Holding has forced Mikel Arteta to look for other options in the market.
Moreover, the club has released David Luiz while the returning William Saliba might be set for a loan spell at Newcastle United. It ideally paves the way for someone like Tah to become an excellent option for Arteta in central defence.
The German international is often maligned for his lack of consistency at the back. However, he does have a lot of experience under his belt, having featured in almost 200 matches at the age of just 25. He has also won 13 caps for the German national team, which could come in handy as the player hopes to settle into the Premier League.
Apart from Arsenal, Leicester City are interested in the services of the Leverkusen centre-back. After the success of Caglar Soyuncu, it seems the Foxes are ready to take another gamble in the Bundesliga, although it is fair to point out that Soyuncu has been identified as a potential target for Manchester United.
Either way, Brendan Rodgers is in need of defensive reinforcements as Wes Morgan has retired while Jonny Evans has had his issues with injuries. Leicester and Arsenal have already contacted Leverkusen for Jonathan Tah, setting the stage perfectly for a potential transfer duel this summer.
The German international could be one of many defenders set to leave Leverkusen in the summer. Sven Bender and Lars Bender had retired at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, while former Leicester City centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic is set to join Red Star Belgrade next season, leaving new coach Gerardo Seoane with a major rebuild job at his hands.
