Thursday, 6th November, 2014
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is pondering over a bid for either Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar or Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk as he seeks to bolster his defensive options.
The Frenchman revealed last month that he is keen to add a central defender to the Gunners squad to shore up their faltering backline, having sold and not replaced Thomas Vermaelen in the summer.
Arsenal are actively scouting the market for defenders and both the Villa and the Celtic defender feature on their shortlist, according to Dutch outlet Soccer News.
Vlaar’s contract with the Villans is set to expire next summer and he would be the cheaper option, but Arsenal may face competition from Manchester United for his signature.
Van Dijk, at 22, is one of the stars of the Celtic team and the Scottish champions will ask for a hefty fee if Arsenal decide to make a move in January.
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At 29, Vlaar would add crucial experience to the Arsenal defence, but Van Dijk has had his potential lauded.
It remains to be seen on which of the two Dutchmen Wenger eventually decides to take a punt on in January.
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