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Benfica have been given a quote of £8.5 million by Arsenal if they want to sign goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The German goalkeeper is one of the players expected to depart the Emirates this summer, having lost his first-team place to Aaron Ramsdale, and with US international; Matt Turner having already been signed as his replacement from New England Revolution.
The Portuguese club are one of the teams interested in signing the 30-year old, but they are taking issue with the North London club’s valuation of him.
The Gunners, though, are not prepared to sell him on the cheap. He has got lots of top level experience, is a full German international, and lost his place to Ramsdale not because of ability, but because the Englishman is better than him with the ball at his feet, and more closely suits Mikel Arteta’s desired template in terms of style.
And, knowing that they could probably get what they want from him if they sell him to another English club, the Gunners are not ready to compromise on the price at this stage.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.