Arsenal have shortlisted Germany international Julian Weigl ahead of the January transfer window under the advice of chief scout Sven Mislintat, according to reports.
The 23-year-old has been one of Borussia Dortmund's brightest prospects for a number of years and has even been linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City in the not too distant past.
However, Weigl has been dropping down the pecking order for some time, and now following the appointment of head coach Lucien Favre, the defensive midfielder can hardly get a sniff at game time at the Westfalenstadion, making just three Bundesliga appearances, including most recently in Der Klassiker.
German outlet Sport Bild are now reporting that Arsenal's Mislintat, who brought Weigl to Dortmund, is looking to reunite with the midfielder in north London.
The highly respected scout has unearthed top talent throughout his career and his distinguished portfolio is what convinced Arsenal to bring him to north London.
Mislintat now believes that he can salvage Weigl's dwindling career with the Gunners, and he's pushing for a move next summer.
Weigl was signed by Borussia Dortmund in 2015, ending a five-year spell with 1860 Munich to join as one of Thomas Tuchel's first ever signings, having officially taken over the reins from Jürgen Klopp just days earlier.
It was under the now Paris Saint-Germain head coach that Weigl earned his reputation as one of Europe's brightest midfielders, but slowly the youngster's importance at Dortmund has gone down, having struggled under Peter Bosz, Peter Stöger, and now Favre.
Weigl is a deep-lying midfielder but he's far from the tough tackling type which fans at Arsenal have been crying out for. The 23-year-old is likely being eyed up as a more defensive replacement to the departing Aaron Ramsey, as he combines similar aspects of both Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreria's game.
Source :
90min
