Arsenal have reportedly jumped ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign a Bundesliga midfielder also admired by Liverpool.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has already settled on a first-choice engine room of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard this season, with the likes of Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri and Christian Norgaard providing cover.
However, Merino may have given Arteta serious food for thought with his hat-trick in Spain's 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Turkey at the weekend, after which he was labelled one of the best players in the world in his position.
The 29-year-old did start the 1-0 loss to Liverpool two Sundays ago due to Odegaard's shoulder injury, but the Norway captain is expected to come back into the fold when managerless Nottingham Forest visit the Emirates this weekend.
As there is no viable route for Merino to come into the first XI when everyone is fit, it would not be a surprise if his Arsenal stay is not long-term, especially as he also turns 30 in 2026.
Arsenal 'leading race' for Stiller after Man United release clause issue
Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller on April 25, 2025
Regardless of Merino's future, CaughtOffside - via the Daily Express - claims that Arsenal are in pole position to capture Stuttgart's Stiller, who has risen to prominence over the past two Bundesliga seasons.
The 24-year-old has contributed five goals and 18 assists from 85 matches across all competitions for Stuttgart since joining on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, setting up 11 efforts during the 2024-25 campaign and catching the eye of Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann.
The five-cap senior international is under contract at Stuttgart for another three years, and the Bundesliga outfit are supposedly after £52m to let Stiller depart in the coming windows after Man United tried and failed to prise him away from the MHPArena.
The Red Devils supposedly tried to exploit a £27.8m release clause in Stiller's contract, but their efforts failed, as that option can only be triggered in specific time periods; either way, the midfielder had no interest in a move to Old Trafford despite'secret talks'.
Arsenal may still have to fend off competition from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Stiller's former youth club Bayern Munich, but the 24-year-old is said to be attracted to the Gunners' project given Arteta's willingness to give opportunities to younger players.
What Stiller could bring to Arsenal amid transfer links
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on August 23, 2025
Stiller's defensive statistics are nothing to write home about, but when it comes to chance creation and progressing the ball upfield, there are few better than the 2001-born lynchpin in his position.
Over the past year, Stiller has averaged a stellar 9.72 progressive passes per game - putting him in the top 2% of midfielders in the big five European leagues - while also registering 3.88 shot-creating actions per game.
Furthermore, the Germany international averages almost nine passes into the final third per match - also putting him in the 98th percentile for players in his position across the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and La Liga.
However, the Gunners may still need to be wary of Liverpool, who could reignite their pursuit depending on the futures of Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic.
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