Could Arsenal be preparing a summer move for a German star?

Bundesliga football clubs must be getting fed up of hearing about Arsenal being interested in their players.

Not content with linking Arsenal with seven Dortmund players since January, the Metro have now linked Arsenal with the second Leverkusen player in a week  – Karim Bellarabi.

Karim Bellarabi is a twenty-four year old winger who has scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in his 37 appearances (all competitions) for Leverkusen this season. He has been linked with a number of clubs in the last year including serious talk of a move to Manchester United.

But where this link starts to get confusing (and something that the Metro fails to mention) is that Bellarabi only signed a new deal with Leverkusen last month.

This new deal is reported to have removed his minimum fee release clause so without that and with a contract until 2020 there is no question that Bellarabi would be expensive.

Then the question that really springs to mind is if Arsenal really wanted him before now, surely they would have made an offer before he signed a new deal? Or why would Bellarabi sign a new deal if he wanted to leave (thus making it harder for a new club to sign him).

Then you look at Bellarabi’s and Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade’s comments from the signing of a new deal – and they certainly don’t look like comments from a player that wants to leave or from a CEO that wants to sell:

“I made a huge step forward under [Leverkusen] coach Roger Schmidt. Under his guidance and in his system I have become a much better player” (Bellarabi)

“His outstanding performances this season put him on the map of many clubs in Germany and abroad. That’s why we are all the more delighted to have tied him to the club on a long-term deal. Karim has become a cornerstone of our team.” (Schade)

So where does that leave us?

Well If Bellarabi does have a release clause then it’s a possibility but even then, there is no guarantee that he would want to move.

If he doesn’t have a release clause then I don’t think he’ll be signing for Arsenal (or anyone else) anytime soon as there are similar players who offer better value this summer.

Another accurate report from the Metro – a sarcasm loaded comment that I’ll happily take back and apologise for if it happens.