Arsenal are wary that Petr Cech, who is set to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of next season, doesn’t have many years left in him at 35 and they will need to replace him within the next 12 months with a younger goalkeeper.
The Guardian report that Arsenal have joined the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen standout Bernd Leno in the summer as their replacement for the declining Cech.
Leno has established a reputation for himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga not named Manuel Neuer in recent seasons, earning six caps for Germany in the process.
Also linked with Liverpool, the 26-year-old was understood to have turned down a summer move to the Reds and is leaning towards a move to Napoli over Anfield in the summer if the right offer came in for Leverkusen, but that was before news of Arsenal’s reported interest broke, which could turn his head back towards the Premier League.
Leverkusen reportedly value Leno at £25m and would allow him to leave if a bid comes in matching that valuation, and Arsenal are positioning themselves near the front of the queue to sign him.
