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What’s the rumour?
As per reports from The Daily Star, Arsenal have reportedly identified Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno as an ideal replacement for Petr Cech and the Gunners are believed to be lining up a £25 million summer move for the 26-year-old.
In case you didn't know
The German international has already made 225 Bundesliga appearances, missing just four league games in his first six full seasons.
Leno, who joined Leverkusen from Stuttgart in 2011, stopped five out of eight penalties back in the 2013/14 season, including an amazing feat of saving four in a row.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal's new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, who lured Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the Emirates Stadium, has reportedly convinced Arsene Wenger that Leno is the best man to replace Cech.
Leno, whose contract runs until 2020, reportedly desires a new challenge after having spent seven years at Leverkusen in order to boost his international chances with Germany.
Die Werkself are reportedly seeking £25m to sell Leno, but a potential deal with Napoli allegedly broke down as the Italian side were only willing to offer £15 million for Leno's services.
Leno has a release clause of around €25 million, and had been linked with a move to Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig in the summer of 2015.
Rumour rating/probability - 7/10
Petr Cech and David Ospina have both proved unreliable for the Gunners as they leaked more goals than any other top-six team this season.
Wenger is desperate to find a new No.1 and Leno could prove to be an important piece of the new Arsenal jigsaw.
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Author’s take
Although Petr Cech has become the first keeper to reach 200 Premier League clean sheets, he is starting to give in to age and Leno, who has established himself as one of the Bundesliga's top goalkeepers, would make an ideal successor to the 36-year-old at Arsenal.
