Arsenal’s head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat is reportedly pushing for a reunion with out-of-favour Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl.
Arsenal’s recruitment drive under Unai Emery and Sven Mislintat is set to launch into the next gear as the club’s head of recruitment is ready to make further moves. According to Sport Bild, Mislintat is looking to raid former club Borussia Dortmund again, this time for midfielder Julian Weigl.
Mislintat feels the German international could be a good fit for Emery’s system, as Arsenal look to take advantage of Weigl’s situation at Borussia Dortmund. As it stands, the midfielder has been out of favour, playing only 150 minutes of Bundesliga action so far this season. Mislintat, however, still believes in his talents and wants to bring him to the Emirates, whenever the opportunity comes forward.
Weigl had been a regular under former boss Thomas Tuchel. However, he saw his form slide under Peter Bosz and Peter Stoger. Add a severe injury to the mix, and he has since found it difficult to rediscover his stunning form of old, especially in the current campaign for Borussia Dortmund under Lucien Favre.
Dortmund have invested smartly in the squad, with summer signing Axel Witsel getting the praise for his displays, which has propelled BVB to the summit of the Bundesliga standings. Another addition in Thomas Delaney and the form of Mohamed Dahoud has paved the way for Weigl’s stint on the bench for the most part, and the player might want another challenge if things don’t change.
Arsenal’s need for a new midfielder is no secret. Their primary requirement is to find a viable replacement for Aaron Ramsey who is set to leave the club, either in January for a reasonable price or for free next summer. To that end, the Gunners have been linked with a number of midfielders, including a move for Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals, and now they are on the trails of Weigl.
It is unknown how much Dortmund would demand for Weigl if he is to be made available for a sale. Weigl’s form in the past had attracted the interest of Barcelona who were thought to be interested in bringing him to Camp Nou back in the summer.
Real Madrid and Manchester City have been interested too, and Borussia Dortmund had reportedly quoted £65 million for the midfielder back then. One can definitely not expect Arsenal to pay that kind of money, primarily when it was Mislintat who helped signed him for Dortmund for £2 million.
Considering his lack of playing time and a loss of form, Arsenal will hope to drive a bargain for the German midfielder who has a contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2021. It now remains to be seen if the North Londoners are able to land Julian Weigl in the January window, or if they are forced to turn their attention elsewhere.
