Arsenal ‘are offered the chance to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji this summer for £21m’

Arsenal have reportedly turned down the chance to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji.

Akanji, 26, who is believed to have fallen out of favor at the club following the sacking of Marco Rose and the acquisitions of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck, is being introduced to Premier League clubs by his representatives.

According The mirrorhowever, Arsenal refused to bring the Swiss international to the Emirates.

The centre-back, who is an international teammate of Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, would not be the defender Mikel Arteta wants this summer.

The young manager is believed to want a left-footed centre-back to cover Gabriel, with right-footed Frenchman William Saliba returning from his successful loan spell at Marseille.

Dortmund’s asking price of around £21million for Akanji is unlikely to make the defender any more attractive to the North London club as they try to navigate their way through a tough market after missing out on football of the Champions League.

The Swiss international defender doesn’t seem to be on Arsenal’s radar though

Arsenal have been helped by Saliba’s willingness to return, with the Frenchman admitting he ‘belongs’ to Arsenal and that with two years left on his current contract, his immediate future is with Arsenal.

“I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left,” Saliba said.

“I will be back with Arsenal. I haven’t played any games and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.

Manuel Akanji is interested in a move to the Premier League and would be interesting for Manchester United

“But it’s not just up to me. In any case, leaving like that would be a shame.

Saliba is likely to compete with Ben White for the right-side spot, with Arteta scouring the market for suitable competition for Gabriel.

Rob Holding’s future amid rumors of moves from Arsenal to various defensive targets is unclear.

Manchester United have also been linked with Akanji, but it looks like Erik ten Hag will look to address other issues before strengthening his backline.

Frenkie de Jong and Ajax forward Antony are among a host of names touted to move to Manchester United this summer.

William Saliba has confirmed he will ‘return to Arsenal’ next season after a successful loan spell with Marseille