Report: Arsenal target joins club for pre-season after being offered to Edu

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Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji will reportedly travel with the German club to their pre-season training camp just weeks after the club offered to sell the centre-back to Arsenal.

According to the Ruhr Nachrichten, head coach Edin Terzic is keeping his options open over the Swiss international, who Dortmund are desperate to sell this summer as the former FC Basel star reaches the final year of his contract, with Arsenal reportedly interested in Akanji.

As per the report, Manchester United and Inter Milan are also chasing Akanji, though both sides are also yet to make an official offer for the 26-year-old, who Dortmund value at £25m this summer, a transfer fee that is seemingly putting off potential suitors.

Reports suggest that Dortmund have already offered Akanji to Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar, but with the Gunners stacked in the centre-back position, it appears that a move to sign the Swiss defender will be a fruitless one for the north London side.

With Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White impressing last season and William Saliba set for a first-team role for the upcoming campaign, another top-level centre-back with little versatility doesn’t make sense for Arsenal despite Dortmund’s desperation to sell Akanji.

And now, it looks like the Bundesliga side are accepting the fact that Akanji will be part of their squad for next season, with the act of trying to sell the defender proving harder than expected for Dortmund in a summer where they have already sold Erling Haaland for £60m

Dortmund will have to lower asking price if they’re to sell Akanji

With Dortmund signing Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck this summer, it’s clear that the club are keen to overhaul their defensive options, yet trying to sell Akanji for the current fee they’re asking for will not work given how high the valuation is and how little interest clubs have in matching this.

Indeed, Akanji could be a top player for the right club, but with Dortmund not letting go of their £25m fee, the defender could be stuck in Germany for next season ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Switzerland will be hoping to repeat their heroics in Euro 2020.