Arsenal agree £19.2m fee for Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Bernd Leno for an initial €22m (£19.2m) from Bayer Leverkusen.

The 26-year-old, who was part of the Germany squad which won the Confederations Cup last year but was not selected for the World Cup, is expected to sign a five-year deal at the Emirates after he was identified as the long-term successor to Petr Cech.

Leno was an integral part of the Leverkusen side which finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season, having begun his career at Stuttgart and it is understood that Arsenal could pay up to another £3m in bonuses as part of the deal.

His impending arrival potentially casts doubt over the future of Cech, who has only one year remaining on the contract he signed when he moved from Chelsea in 2015.

READ MORE: Brazil ask FIFA to explain VAR use

READ MORE: Matthaus suggests Ozil could quit after World Cup

READ MORE: Russia 2018 - The World Cup of the penalty

Arsenal are also closing in on the signing of Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira of Sampdoria for £25m and Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund for around £16m as Unai Emery continues his rebuilding job. The Switzerland full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner joined on a free transfer from Juventus this month.