Arsenal Plan January Move for Dutch Defender - Report

Arsenal are planning a move for Feyenoord defender Bruno Martins Indi, according to the Daily Mail.

The Gunners are likely to face competition from Everton but the north London club are willing to pay the £8m asking fee for the Dutch international in order to bring him to the Emirates. Arsenal are short at centre-back and are likely to be in the market for a defender in January. Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker are the three defenders currently on board with Bacary Sagna coming in to deputize for either in case of an injury.

Former Arsenal player and current coach of Feyenoord, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, has lauded the 21-year-old and expects the player to make a move out of Netherlands in the near future.

"He is very good and strong. It is not for nothing he's a first-choice here and with the Dutch national team. He will make the move to a foreign club in the long term. When the time comes and he wants to leave, he will leave the club. We are very happy with him, but we know we cannot compete with the top European clubs," he said.

Arsenal are also likely to move in for a striker, with Olivier Giroud the lone figure up front for the Gunners this season. Wenger is likely to move back in for Luis Suarez for whom he failed with a £40m plus £1 bid in the summer. However, the apparent availability of Karim Benzema is likely to pique Arsene's interest who has been a keen follower of the France international over the years. The striker is going through a rough patch of form and is reported to be available for a fee in the range of £17m.

The Gunners head into the international break top of the table with 16 points and are on a six game unbeaten run in the league. After a disastrous start on the opening day of the campaign, a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at home, Arsenal have recovered well, winning their next five games and drawing against West Bromwich Albion last weekend.