Arsenal are set to open contract talks with Takehiro Tomiyasu amid transfer interest from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Bayern are after a new defender after a slow start to the season. Although Harry Kane has scored 21 goals since his summer transfer from Tottenham, Thomas Tuchel's side are out of the German Cup and two points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Tuchel was keen on Raphael Varane. The 30-year-old has slipped behind Harry Maguire in the pecking order at Manchester United and could be available for as little as €20million (£17.4m). Yet Varane's hefty salary is thought to have forced Bayern to look elsewhere.
It's believed the Germans have now identified versatile star Tomiyasu, 25, as a more realistic transfer target. The Japan international has done well since joining Arsenal from Italian side Bologna in August 2021, despite suffering a few muscle injuries and undergoing knee surgery.
Although Tomiyasu is popular among Arsenal fans, he's often overlooked by Mikel Arteta in favour of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Oleksandr Zinchenko and others. He's made just 29 Premier League starts since joining the Gunners.
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However, Arteta is keen for Tomiyasu to stick around at the Emirates. "I really want him to stay," Arteta told reporters at a press conference on Friday. "I value the player a lot, I really like him. I think he’s loved and respected by everybody at the club, he’s getting a lot of minutes now, he’s getting his ability to the level that we need to for him to make an impact in the team and he will continue to be with us."
Tomiyasu is about to enter the final 18 months of his contract, which does include the option of a further year. According to The Telegraph, Arteta wants to ward off Bayern by handing the defender a new long-term deal and a significant pay rise.
Arteta is a fan of Tomiyasu's ability to play anywhere along the back four. The player's importance has grown since August, when new signing and fellow versatile defender Jurrien Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his Premier League debut.
Raphael Varane is no longer wanted by Bayern Munich (Getty Images)Do you think Takehiro Tomiyasu should leave Arsenal for Bayern Munich? Let us know in the comments below!
A move to Bayern would appeal to any player, especially one who isn't a regular starter with his club. It's now up to Arteta to persuade Tomiyasu to stay at the Emirates. The Gunners boss described Tomiyasu's display in the 2-1 win at Sevilla in October as "terrific".
Arteta added: "Tomi is a player that everybody loves in there. He’s always the first (in training) and he’s always the last out. You tell him to do something and he will give his life for it. He’s an exceptionally professional player who gives us a versatility and qualities that nobody else has in the squad. For me he’s a really important player."
Arteta wants versatile players like Tomiyasu to "occupy different positions when needed". He explained: "That’s something tricky because you start to train a player every single day in a different position, but then you demand him to play in a specific role.
"It’s challenging because you lack familiarity and physically the demands are difficult. But Tomi always adapts to this in a really natural way."
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