Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has plenty of funds to spend in the summer and it seems that around £7.5million could be set aside for Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode.

The Sun has reported that the defensive midfielder has emerged as one of the top targets for Wenger who allowed Alex Song to join Barcelona last summer and failed to bring in a replacement.

Sebastian Rode
Sebastian Rode has impressed for Eintracht Frankfurt who are flying high in the Bundesliga [Reuters]

Wenger was hoping that Abou Diaby could fill the void but the French midfielder has once again been plagued by injuries and has featured in just eight of Arsenal's 27 Premier League games this season.

Rode, a German Under-21 international, began his career playing in the third tier of German football for Kickers Offenbach but was soon snapped up by Eintracht Frankfurt and has been a regular in the side over the past two seasons.

The 22-year-old has been in outstanding form this season and has featured in all 23 league games as Eintracht have enjoyed a fantastic campaign that sees hem currently lying in fourth place and pushing for Champions League football.

The Sun believes that Roda has refused to sign a new deal with the German side and has indicated that he would like to test himself in the Premier League.

With just 16 months remaining on his current contract, Eintracht may well be forced to cash-in on the midfielder in the summer rather than risk losing him on a free when his contract expires.

However, Arsenal may well have some competition on their hands as it is reported that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, currently the top two sides in the Bundesliga, are also interested in signing Rode.

Arsenal may find it difficult to compete with the German giants and a top-four finish may play a crucial role in helping persuade Rode that he should join his compatriots Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski in north London.

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