According to a report from Soccer Link, with a headline that translates from French to “Jerome Boateng gets closer to London”, the Gunners are moving forward in their pursuit of Bayern Munich’s 31-year-old centre back. The Bundesliga giants with to part ways with the German, who has spent almost 9 years as a star performer the club since his move from Manchester City in 2011.

The report claims that Arsenal are now in “advanced discussions” with the 2014 World Cup winner. Chelsea are also believed to be interested, but they currently have their sights set on a different defender.

Boateng has made over 200 appearances, including 16 in the Bundesliga this season, showing that he is still a solid defender who can compete at the top level. His performance at Stamford Bridge in February, when Bayern beat Chelsea 3-1 in the Champions League, has reassured Arsenal that he still has what it takes to be a top quality defensive option, according to the report. Nevertheless, with younger options like Niklas Süle and Lucas Hernandez available, it may not be too difficult to convince Bayern to let Boateng go.

Although Boateng featured in the 2018 World Cup and has a total of 76 caps for his country, he has not featured in Germany’s squad since late 2018.

The player’s contract expires in 2021 and he could be available for as little as 12 million euros.

Header Photo: Michael Kranewitter, 2012