Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Fernando Llorente and Lars Bender Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is ready to add another natural No. 9 to his club's striker ranks. The Frenchman is also keen on finally signing a long-term target who'd add some genuine physicality to midfield.

The striker Wenger has in his sights is Fernando Llorente, according to Metro reporter Tom Oliver. He stated that the Basque-born target man will cost Arsenal £63,000 per week in wages, a figure the Gunners are apparently willing to pay.

Oliver also noted Llorente will be available this summer thanks to the impressive start Alvaro Morata has made to life in Turin. Former Real Madrid product Morata has scored six goals and provided four assists since joining Juventus last summer, per ESPN FC.

If Morata's form is making Llorente expendable, Wenger could well be tempted to make his move.

Llorente has a lot of qualities suited to the type of game Arsenal currently play. The 29-year-old is an aerial powerhouse capable of holding up the ball and meeting quality delivery into the box in emphatic fashion.

His strength and ability to play with his back to goal would be particularly useful qualities in today's Arsenal squad. Wenger has constructed a team, particularly its midfield, still reliant on slight and small technically gifted schemers.

Arsenal are quick and creative in the middle, but their tiny, brainy tots lack brawn. So it's often prudent for the Gunners to bypass the scrap for possession in midfield by launching a long ball up to a towering focal point.

Olivier Giroud currently performs that vital task. The Frenchman's very adept at trapping a high ball and linking with forward runners via clever flicks and knockdowns.

Llorente once did the same thing as he rose to prominence with Athletic Bilbao. He was a key member of then-manager Marcelo Bielsa's 2011/12 squad that made it to a UEFA Europa League and Copa del Rey final.

Like Arsenal and Giroud, that Bilbao team passed the ball in smart and swift exchanges and played off and around Llorente.

Wenger knows the value of a true No. 9 like Llorente. He'll also know he doesn't have much cover at this crucial position.

The Gunners chief made that clear when discussing wide forward Danny Welbeck after Arsenal's recent 2-0 FA Cup win over Middlesbrough, per the club's official site:

He can play central striker like he did for a long time but the most natural centre forward we have is Giroud. All the strikers we have can play in different positions. The only one who can only play centre forward is Giroud, so when Giroud plays the others have to move out wide.

Signing Llorente would not only give Arsenal credible cover for Giroud but a player capable of challenging the ex-Montpellier man for a starting place. But agreeing any deal won't be easy.

Llorente is already courting interest from north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Liverpool, according to Daily Express reporter Joe Short. Arsenal beating both clubs to a top-four finish and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League will be a major factor in any potential transfer.

The same thing will also be key to a move for Bayer 04 Leverkusen midfield anchor man Lars Bender. He'll be the subject of a £22 million offer from the Gunners this summer, per Daily Express writer Ben Jefferson.

He also cites interest from La Liga giant Barcelona and references unnamed sources in Spain as the origin of the rumour Arsenal will move first. That source could be Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness).

Wenger has long held an interest in the Germany international. He had a £19 million bid rebuffed back in the summer of 2013, according to Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph.

Although the pages of a calendar or two have turned since then, Arsenal's need for a more destructive midfielder hasn't gone away. Young Frenchman Francis Coquelin has emerged as a smart and skilled presence in front of the back four, but the 23-year-old isn't the most physically imposing.

He also doesn't have the drive Bender would offer. The 25-year-old is an energetic tough tackler who harasses opponents at every area of the pitch.

Bender would form a terrific partnership with Coquelin, giving the Gunners the most secure midfield base they've had since Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva were roaming the middle.

But beating Barca to the punch won't be as easy as it appears. The Catalan club has been with hit with a FIFA transfer ban.

However, world football's governing body recently made it clear Barca can still secure deals for players this summer. But the club won't be allowed to register the signings until January 2016, according to Sky Sports News HQ (h/t SkySports.com).

If Bender is prepared to wait, he may find life with a four-time European Cup winner more appealing. But it's Wenger and Arsenal who have tracked the player the longest. Finally landing him would be a coup for the Gunners boss.

Both Llorente and Bender represent obvious needs for Arsenal. Each would add ample physicality to key positions in the squad.