Arsenal Transfer News: Daniele Rugani to Force Move, Latest Lars Bender Rumours

Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani is reportedly set to hand in a transfer request as he looks to force a move away from Turin.

The Arsenal target has barely played a minute for the Serie A champions all season since joining Juve from Empoli in the summer.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (via Metro's Jamie Sanderson), Rugani, 21, is eager to depart Juventus and pursue first-team football elsewhere.

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However, the report indicated that Juve will reject any transfer request from the youngster and even a €20 million (£14 million) offer may not be enough to tempt them into selling Rugani.

Despite his lack of game-time at Juventus, Rugani is widely regarded as one of the best defensive prospects in the world and it would be a foolish long-term move for them to sell him on.

A loan move in January may be beneficial, though, per Italian football writer Luca Persico:

Rugani played a key part in Empoli's promotion season of 2013-14 and then played every minute of their 2014-15 Serie A campaign, per WhoScored.com.

He is a huge talent and has represented Italy at a variety of youth levels.

Arsenal would do well to sign him up—even if only on a six-month loan—as he could add greater depth to their defensive line, while Gunners boss Arsene Wenger could be a huge help to Rugani in his development.

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Meanwhile, the north London outfit are reportedly looking to bring in Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender after Francis Coquelin picked up a long-term injury.

The Frenchman is set to miss the next three months of action, and Arsenal's cover for Coquelin is negligible, per the Mirror's John Cross:

Bender has been on the Gunners' radar for some time now, and Wenger could move for him in January, per Calciomercato (h/t Metro's Mark Brus).

The 26-year-old German would be a terrific addition at the Emirates, and he and Coquelin would represent a genuinely top-class midfield duo.

January is not an ideal time to go into the market, but with only Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta to cover for Coquelin in the coming months, Wenger will surely now be forced to add a better alternative to his squad.