Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Mesut Ozil and Ricardo Rodriguez Rumours

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are reportedly targeting Mesut Ozil as he stalls on extending his contract with Arsenal. Losing Ozil would be a blow for the Gunners, but manager Arsene Wenger could be about to bolster a suspect defence, after links emerged suggesting he's keen on Wolfsburg's Swiss star, Ricardo Rodriguez.

Yet it's the reports regarding Ozil that are likely to worry the Arsenal faithful, after Duncan Wright of the Sun detailed interest from Munich:

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Ozil has two years left to run on his existing deal at the Emirates but the Gunners had hoped to tie him down to a new long-term agreement.

But Ozil, 27, has rebuffed the club’s advances for a second time — insisting he does not want anything to get in the way of his preparations for Euro 2016.

And that has caused concern at Arsenal that the £42.5million signing from Real Madrid is open to the idea of moving elsewhere, amid suggestions in Germany that Bayern Munich are monitoring his situation.

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Wright also stated how Ozil is keen to spend the prime of his career at a "club who are regularly challenging for the game’s biggest honours."

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To many, Arsenal no longer belong in that bracket, despite collecting a pair of FA Cups since Ozil became the club's record signing in 2013. But the north London side hasn't won the Premier League title since 2004, while also failing to progress past the last-16 stage of the UEFA Champions League since the 2009/10 season.

The Gunners were mounting a strong bid for the title this season, with Ozil at the heart of things. But his assists dwindled once the calendar turned to 2016, after he'd created 16 league goals by the end of December.

Many might blame the lack of a quality striker to aim for, with target man Olivier Giroud often unable to meet Ozil's through passes. Yet it's also true that Ozil's own inconsistencies contributed to the decline.

Despite registering 19 assists in domestic action, Ozil didn't provide one in the Champions League, per WhoScored.com.

Winning the biggest prizes demands a club's star players deliver in the biggest games. It's something Ozil's struggled to do at times during his Arsenal career.

Rodriguez Interest Mooted

Wenger needs to add more pace and aggression at the back this summer. So it makes sense to read he's showing "strong interest" in Wolfsburg left-back Rodriguez, according to German publication Kicker (h/t Metro's Mark Brus).

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The picture at left-back isn't clear since Kieran Gibbs has been linked with an exit from north London this summer, per Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph. Regular starter Nacho Monreal is capable but is also now 30.

The Spaniard doesn't really boast the pace and strength needed to be truly dynamic defensively or on the attack. By contrast, Rodriguez, just 23, is a rugged defender who can also offer a lot going forward.

But Wenger may find it tough to sign the player whose father talked up his desire to play for Real Madrid back in April, according to Marca's Antonio Estevez and Aaron Gratton: "It would be a major jump in his career. Playing for Real Madrid is the dream of any footballer."

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

Yet the presence of Swiss national team-mate Granit Xhaka might help sway Rodriguez. The former has agreed to join the Gunners after signing a "long-term contract," per BBC.

Wenger won't want to lose Ozil's influence in the final third, but he'll also know how no amount of attacking flair will make Arsenal title winners if the defence remains suspect.