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ARSENAL OFFER FOR BALLACK - BAYER DENIAL

By Philip Seery

ARSENAL have reportedly lodged a staggering 80 million Mark (£25.3 million) bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack, although the Bundesliga club deny such an offer.

The 'Rheinische Post', a regional newspaper in North Germany, claims Gunners coach Arsene Wenger has put German international Ballack at the top of his transfer-list and tested the water with a multi-million pound bid.

"I don't know anything about an offer from Arsenal," claimed Bayer finance director Wolfgang Holzhauser.

Ballack, 25, netted a brace against Ukraine in Germany's 4-1 World Cup play-off triumph at the Westfalen Stadium and his performances for club and country have attracted interest from Europe's big-guns.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich along with Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona have been linked to the ace with Arsenal seemingly now entering the race for the player's signature.

The former Kaiserslautern star has a contract at the BayArena until 2005 but Leverkusen chief Klaus Toppmoller faces a real fight to hang on to his prize asset with a number of wealthy clubs not afraid to open their chequebooks.  

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