Arsenal have reportedly diverted their attention to Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender, after their pursuit for Real Madrid's Sami Khedira appears to have died down.

Real's German midfielder recently expressed his desire to stay in La Liga and has had no talks with any other club.

Arsene Wenger is now rumoured to have started looking elsewhere for a defensive midfielder, with Khedira's German compatriot the seemingly perfect replacement.

This isn't the first time Arsenal have chased Bender however, as the North London side originally stumbled over the midfielder's wages earlier this summer.

According to The Express, the midfielder could cost Arsenal £19m in the January transfer window.