According to German newspaper "Express" (and subsequently several other sources citing them) after having made first contact last spring, Arsenal have had a bid of €23m for Lars Bender rejected by Bayer Leverkusen.

The following excerpt from the Guardian basically says as much as well.

"Arsenal's attempt to strengthen their midfield have been frustrated afterBayer Leverkusen knocked back an approach for the Germany international Lars Bender. The club have, however, signed the French French youth international striker Yaya Sanogo as a free agent after leaving Ligue 2 team Auxerre.

The Gunners had hoped to secure the 24-year-old, whose twin brother Sven plays at Borussia Dortmund, for about €23m (£18.5m) but the Bundesliga club quickly turned down the inquiry and have since made it clear Bender is not for sale at any price. Leverkusen sold André Schürrle to Chelsea and Dani Carvajal to Real Madrid earlier in the summer and are not under financial pressure to move on more of their first-team squad.

That represents a blow for Arsène Wenger, whose transfer policy this close season has always been geared towards strengthening the spine of his side with a striker, a central midfielder and an experienced goalkeeper his priorities."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/01/arsenal-lars-bender-bayer-leverkusen

NOW, ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME OR HAS SEEN ME POST ON FR FOR THE PAST YEAR WILL KNOW JUST HOW HIGHLY I RATE L. BENDER! I THINK ARSENAL ARE DESPERATE FOR A WORLD CLASS CDM AND L. BENDER OR D. DE ROSSI (NOT GONNA HAPPEN) WOULD BE MY #1 DREAM CHOICE!

Now, the part that bothers me is this: \"Bender is not for sale at any price\".

What bothers me even more than that is that respected German journo Rapha Honigstein had this to say about it on Twitter:

\"Express is a v. well informed paper [when it comes to Leverkusen]. They say Leverkusen\'s no is categorical, not a question of valuation/negotiation. Tend to believe them\"

Now, being a longsuffering Arsenal fan I have trained myself to minimize my hopes and expectations. Indeed, I should be wiser... but if by the grace of God we manage to land him or someone of his caliber it would absolutely make my summer. Do it Arsene! Can I dream?

I know you're reading my posts, Arsene.

<http://footyroom.com/forum/football-talk/director-of-football-game-48075>

Go out and get them. 1 out of 4.

We have a pretty bad timing for this transfer. Leverkusen already sold schurrle and carjaval this summer and just got into the CL. They probably won't sell more players. So sorry footaholic but I think this one is a no no. We could still get fellaini though.

Sorry Arsenal :D

"To Dream the impossible Dream...
This is my quest
To Follow That Star
No Matter How Hopeless
No Matter How Far"

^100 kudos to anyone who knows the reference without looking it up...

@Footaholic

How about Sven Bender? Both Lars and Sven play the same position, and have similar playing styles (but with Lars more offensive and Sven more defensive). Would you be okay with Sven on your team, or do you think that Lars will benefit Arsenal more?

@Dynastian:
#1- Lars is a better CDM, in my humble opinion.
#2- Sven Bender plays for Dortmund. He would be less inclined to move to another team and indeed Dortmund would be even harder to buy from.

Leverkusen showing strength, +1 in my book, Leverkusen wanna improve their team for CL so they would never release Bender or Kiebsling, now they need to buy to cover up for Shurrle

@Footaholic I looked up the quote so does that mean I get 50 kudos?

Pretty gutted about the offer for Lars not going through, but if its true that Arsene is looking into activating Fellaini's realease clause it will make up for it.

I'm going to just state this once, and for all: FELLAINI IS NOT A CDM!
HE is a box to box midfielder with a physical presence. Whilst his strength would def. add some steel he doesn't have the training or discipline to act as a proper cdm. In other words, he isn't as good at intercepting, maintaining tactical shape, and transitioning the defence as someone like L Bender would be.
Lastly, while Arsenal isn't quite as "tippy tappy" as it used to be, I still don't think he's technically gifted enough to fit the "Arsenal mould". That's just my gut feeling anyway. Won't complain if we get him mind you, but would much rather a proper CDM the likes of which we haven't seen since Gilberto/Petit.

@foota
One player for you : Matic.
And of course its the best period to buy from Benfica, after their dramatical end of season. ( City already looking for Cardozo 15M) i think there are some great buisness to do there :)

Thanks for the tip @tiki_taka. I do not know much about him, other than the fact that I have heard of him before. In your opinion, is he even remotely close to as good as my dream 2? Also, what kind of CDM do you see him as? Let me be more clear here... there seems to me 2 kinds of CDM.
#1- Old-fashioned, hard as nails combative CDM who gives the ball to a teammate as soon as he wins it. This kind of CDM doesn't do as good of a job at maneuvering to maintain the balance of a formation when his teammates shift positions/phases of attack. BUT, he is THE BEST at shielding a back four and can be deployed all alone instead of having to be a part of a 2 pivot midfield.
#2-What I would call the more well-rounded modern CDM. This is the guy who uses his brain and anticipation more than brute athleticism to win midfield battles. Unlike a deep lying playmaker this player still won\'t venture forward as much but still has the physique necessary to carry out the actions his brain maps out. However, compared to the old fashioned CDM this player is better at holding a ball under pressure, more tactically flexible, can aid or act as a pseudo deep-lying playmaker, has the speed of thought to successfully start quick counterattacks, and the passing accuracy to play in a team that values possession.
(For completions sake, there is a 3rd kind of CDM that is named Sergio Busquets but he is one of a kind IMO.)

So, of the 2 options above which does Matic fall under more?
Also, I will have to recruit GOLDEN for his opinion on this matter as well. Hopefully he will have read this.

@Footaholic: Yeah he is very talented for his age, but are you sure your willing to cash in 40 million euros on him? I admired Matic since his time with Chelsea, but 40 million for a player who just had his breakthrough season last season (12/13 season) at the age of 25.

WHAT? Ain't nobody mention he's valued at 40 million. F**k that. I'd rather have De Rossi if I was going to pay insane money like that for 1 midfielder.

OH NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. DE ROSSI IS CHELSEA'S TARGET. This is where I draw the line! Wenger wont even appreciate his beard like Mourinho would! (Plus, he is a freaking steal for the reported 16 million pounds cost)

honestly V, I'd be surprised if he went to Chelsea (just because I've never really heard him being a target of theirs). I know City were DYING to get him but Roma wouldn't let go. Maybe Pelligrini doesn't feel the same about him as Mancini did (although I cannot see why not) but either way... he's way too expensive for us. He is the highest paid player in Italy. Plus his fee would be mad. So I'm not really serious about him ... although I'd die if we got him :) that's why I really wanted L Bender. That, and in my heart of hearts, I wish De Rossi stays in Roma, becomes their captain after Totti hangs up his boots, and retires with his boyhood club. He is 100% pure Romanista and I would sacrifice my own clubs progression if it meant keeping alive the dying of embers of loyalty... so quickly close to extinction in the modern game.

Isn't Matic going for 30M?

I think Sven Bender is more efficient than his brother because he plays at Dortmund as an attacking mildfieder, surely this guy is able to make nice assists.