Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have reportedly been asked for cough up £14m if they want Bayer Leverkusen centre-back, Omer Toprak, this summer.

The defender has been linked with a move to Arsenal recently as our deal with Shkodran Mustafi hangs in the balance but if we’re unwilling to wait until next year, we will have to pay £14m.

If we were to wait, as Dortmund are apparently prepared to do, we’d only have to pay €12m, which is just over £10m. £4m difference but we need a centre-back sharpish. With Per Mertesacker and Gabriel both out through injury, waiting until next summer for the sake of £4m would be petty at best.

Whether the link is genuine or not, since our interest in Mustafi appears to be quite concrete, at least it’s a sign that we’re looking for a defender.

In today’s climate, £14m for an experienced international centre-back really isn’t a big deal and I’d like to think that if the opportunity arose, we’d take it if we needed to.