Arsenal will battle Chelsea for rising Benfica star Nelson Semedo, as the Blues prepare to swoop for the defender in the January transfer window.  

Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (h/t Alex Wood of the Daily Star) reported Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will return to his homeland to secure the 22-year-old’s services, but he will have to “fight off” Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, as the pair battle for the prodigy.

The right-back recently made his debut for Portugal in a 2-1 victory over Serbia, and he has continued to impress at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.

Mourinho has turned his attentions to Semedo after Branislav Ivanovic was linked with a switch to Inter Milan, with the Serbian’s deal about to expire at Stamford Bridge, per Wood. 

If Semedo chooses the Emirates Stadium ahead of the Bridge, he will have to compete with Hector Bellerin for a spot in the first team, and this could prove too much of an initial obstacle. 

However, full-back Mathieu Debuchy has hinted he could be about to exit Arsenal in January, leaving a positional vacancy in Wenger’s squad, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror. The French international spoke about being displaced by Bellerin, and he admitted: “I am dealing with it. I am trying to stay strong. We are going to remain concentrated until December, after that I will see.”

If the Gunners lose out to Chelsea in the race for Semedo, they might be able to console themselves with the capture of Lars Bender from Bayer Leverkusen in January.

Jamie Sanderson of Metro quoted Leverkusen supremo Michael Schade speaking about the club’s current position on transfers: “Bayer Leverkusen can’t be as arrogant to say that we are creating world stars and they will retire here. If we are able to create a world star or top player, then one day this player wants to play for one of the top [clubs in the world], of course.”

Vaishali Bhardwaj of the London Evening Standard reported odds have been slashed by bookmakers for Bender to join Arsenal, as Wenger attempts to address Francis Coquelin‘s injury layoff. 

Bender has feature nine times for his club in the Bundesliga and the Champions League this term, according to WhoScored.com.

In other news, David Ospina might soon be on his way from north London, as speculation mounts about his future. 

The goalkeeper has been rooted to the substitute bench since the arrival of Petr Cech, and there is the possibility Wojciech Szczesny could return to the Emirates after his loan spell with Roma expires. 

Will Giles of Metro said Ospina has “liked” a number of tweets linking him with a potential switch to Besiktas, suggesting he might be “open to the move.” The Colombian stopper has liked 11 tweets from fans of the Turkish club, fuelling rumours of a deal. 

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has given his backing to a return for Szczesny, as reported by Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror: “Wojciech wants to compete. I think he’s a good goalkeeper and he can still develop. The team wants him back—that’s good for him. He’s shown great character already in this team and I think he has got a bright future.”

If the former No. 1 returns to Arsenal, it is unlikely Ospina would stay—given the competition for places. 

The importance of the capture of Bender is now paramount for Wenger, as he loses vital members of his squad to injury, heading into the winter months.

Bender is a cool operator, who would add steel to Arsenal’s core, and his experience in the Champions League would be a valuable commodity to the Gunners.

Semedo is a less likely purchase, but Arsenal have a future world-class right-back in Bellerin, as Wenger considers tweaking his defensive options.

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