Arsenal handed boost as Bundesliga club open to allowing 23-year-old defender to leave for around €15 million: Reports

Arsenal have reportedly been handed a boost in their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka.

Ndicka has been an integral part of the Bundesliga side so far this campaign, making 17 appearances in all competitions. However, his contract with the club is set to expire at the end of the season.

If the renewal is not done soon, Eintracht Frankfurt might have to part ways with the player on a free transfer at the end of the season.

To avoid such a situation, the Bundesliga outfit are reportedly looking to sell Ndicka in the winter transfer window and have rated him at a fee of €15 million.

Ndicka's teammate in Frankfurt, Daichi Kamada, is in a similar sort of situation at the club.

Their sporting director Marcus Krosche was recently quoted saying (via Bild):

“There has not yet been a decision as to which direction to go. We didn’t give them an ultimatum either. The offer is still available and we are in exchanges.”

As per Sports Witness, Arsenal could look to sign him in January as they look to strengthen their defense further.

The Gunners are currently at the top of the Premier League table after 12 games. While it's still too early for Mikel Arteta's side's title aspirations, they need to have depth in the squad in a bid to survive the climax part of the season.

Arsenal already have the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba in their ranks. However, Ndicka's addition will give Arteta the luxury of rotating his squad for the UEFA Europa League games. Notably, he won the competition with Frankfurt last season.

The Frenchman has played 156 games for the German side since joining them from AJ Auxerre in 2018.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently talked about his squad's depth

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta

Arsenal could only manage a 1-1 draw against Southampton as they made a trip to St. Mary's Stadium in the Premier League this past weekend (October 23).It was their first draw of the season in all competitions as they have won 13 out of their 15 games, losing once.

When quizzed about his squad's depth after the game, the Spaniard said there was no point complaining as he would have to manage what was at his disposal. The 40-year-old said (via arsenal.com):

"We have the same that we had a month ago, two days ago, and the same as what we’re going to have next week. I don’t like to have any excuses. In the second half we could have played much better and we could have won much more comfortably than we did and it’s completely down to us."

He added:

"I think the team looked really fresh at the start. I put it more down to the way we played. We should have played better in the second half."

The north London side will next face PSV Eindhoven away on October 17 in the Europa League.