Arsenal are again in the market for a defensive midfielder following the injury sustained by Francis Coquelin.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger is set to step back into the transfer market in a bid to fill the void left by the young Frenchman who is likely to miss the rest of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 with knee ligament damage.

At the top of Wenger's shortlist is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender who has previously been linked with the Gunners.

The 26-year-old is one of Leverkusen's key performers and would provide security in front of compatriot Per Mertesacker and his central defensive partner Laurent Koscielny.

Again in the sights of the North London club is Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho who has also been a target for Manchester United in recent times.

However, the 23-year-old is likely to come with an enormous price tag and may not be made available by the Portuguese giants in January.

It is also believed that Sevilla's Polish international Grzegorz Krychowiak, Lazio's Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia, 20-year-old Nice talent Vincent Koziello and his teammate Nampalys Mendy are also on Arsenal's winter radar.