Arsenal’s defence has been an area of concern for quite some time now. Within the last decade, the Gunners have tried and failed to craft a perfect defence, despite some top-quality names being signed in this position.

Now, it was reported a few weeks ago that Arsenal were interested in signing the World Cup winning defender Jerome Boateng since he is looking for a move away from Bayern Munich. However, nothing really came into fruition, but with the transfer window still fast approaching, there is always time.

According to a new report from Kicker, Bayern Munich is not interested in offering Boateng a new contract to keep him at the Allianz Arena. While Arsenal have cooled their interest, this is bound to get eyebrows raised once again. After all, Boateng is a free transfer and he iw one of the most renowned centre backs in the game.

While Boateng is not quite at the level he once was, most notably after Lionel Messi “ended his career”, he would still be a good coop for the Gunners. He would be the ideal short-term option and his experience playing at the top level will surely inspire some of their younger defenders.

The problem which will be at the back of the Arsenal board’s mind is Boateng’s wages. The good thing about signing him on a pre-contract is that he will arrive for free, but he will likely require high wages and he will inevitably ask for a signing on bonus. That’s just within the nature of football players nowadays.

Of course, William Saliba will be arriving back from loan soon. This softens Arsenal’s need to sign a centre back desperately, but only time will tell if they choose to continue their pursuit of Jerome Boateng.

Cover image: terceroinf fmiralcamp, 2014