Wenger bluntly rejected claims Arsenal wanted £21m man in 2015, now Arteta could sign him

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Arsenal fans were presumably left disappointed when Arsene Wenger squashed talk of a move for Ilkay Gundogan back in 2015.

The Germany international was making a name for himself as one of Europe’s best midfielders back then, as he developed into an important cog for Borussia Dortmund.

After Arsene Wenger rejected talk of a move for Ilkay Gundogan back in 2015, Mikel Arteta could now bring the 32-year-old to Arsenal.

What’s the story?

Well – when asked about the German in January 2015 – Wenger said: “He’s not a defender. At the moment we are more looking for the defensive department.”

As you can see, the Frenchman – who responded rather bluntly – did not entertain the rumours one bit.

Now – however – Gundogan, who Patrick Vieira rates very highly, could finally sign for Arsenal.

According to The Athletic, Arteta is seriously interested in signing the Manchester City No.8 on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires at the end of June.

It is said that the Spaniard views the Manchester City captain as the ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka, who looks set to join Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

However, it is also said that Barcelona are interested in Gundogan, while Manchester City will make attempts to keep their midfield orchestrator, who they signed from Borussia Dortmund for £21m in 2016, at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal shouldn’t focus on Gundogan too much

In our view, Arteta should not waste too much of his time trying to sign Gundogan this summer.

While the German is a phenomenal player, he is coming to the end of his best years at the age of 32, so we feel a move for someone like Declan Rice – who The Athletic add is also a target – should be prioritised.

The England international is just 24, and represents a long-term option for Arteta in midfield like Martin Ødegaard will surely prove to be.

Be sure to keep an eye on this situation regardless, as Arteta and Edu have previous of signing talented options from Manchester City, such as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.