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Arsenal back in the race to sign German World Cup winner: report

Arsenal are reportedly back in the race to sign defender Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich when the transfer window reopens.

The ex-Germany international was on the radar of the north London side during the winter transfer window but ultimately no deal materialised with Bayern opting to retain his services.

Mikel Arteta’s side eventually made the decision to sign Pablo Mari on a temporary deal from Flamengo and the Spaniard has already caught the eye with his two appearances.

Any future transfer plans will definitely be delayed due to the coronavirus shutdown but Foot Mercato claims that the Gunners could revive their interest in Boateng during the next transfer window.

David Luiz, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi have been the regular centre-back choices during the backend of the season but Mari managed to start back-to-back games before the halt due to the COVID-19 threat.

Aside from the quartet, the north London side have Rob Holding, Calum Chambers (currently injured), William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos (both on loan) at their disposal.

Barring Saliba, Arteta should definitely consider offloading a couple of centre-backs in the squad such that the club can garner additional funds for the purchase of a top-class central defender.

Taking this into regard, a move for Boateng seems way out of order, given the German is already in his 30s and would be on the decline during the forthcoming seasons.

The 2014 World Cup winner does have strong ball-playing abilities but the manager could be better off signing 26-year-old Mari on a permanent deal, given he has made a good impression with his long-ball distribution.

Mari’s contract could be turned permanent for around £8m this summer but that should not cease the club’s plans to pursue an elite centre-back ahead of next season.

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