Arsenal considering £61m double swoop for Borussia Dortmund duo Ilkay Gundogan and Mats Hummels

Arsenal are reportedly considering a double bid to land Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Mats Hummels during the January transfer window.

According to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Gunners are keen on signing both the players as they look to strengthen their defensive department ahead of the second half of the season, which will see them compete in three competitions.

Arsene Wenger has indicated that the club are in the market to sign 'one or two' players to cover for the injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Mikel Arteta, who have both been ruled out for three months after undergoing shoulder and ankle surgery respectively.

The north London club have been struggling in the defence this season, letting go of their lead more than a few times, which has prompted the French manager to dip into the transfer market. The Gunners have already completed their first signing, after the manager confirmed that 17-year-old Polish defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik is undergoing a medical with the club ahead of a permanent move.

However, Arsenal need immediate fixes and therefore the report claims that Wenger is planning a £61m double swoop for Gundogan and Hummels.

Earlier in the week, there were reports suggesting that the Emirates Stadium outfit had made a £15.6m bid for Gundogan after his contract talks stalled with his current employers.

On the other hand, Hummels has admitted that he could leave the Bundesliga club in the future, but the Gunners will most likely have to wait until the summer to get their primary defender target after his father dismissed rumours regarding a January move.

Apart from Arsenal, both the German internationals have been heavily linked to Manchester United, with Hummels said to be manager Louis van Gaal's main defender target.

Now that Dortmund are having a poor season in the Bundesliga, it looks like both the clubs will look to take advantage of the situation and go all out to land the World Cup winning defender either in January or during the summer transfer window later in the year.