Arsenal Join Borussia Dortmund in race for Mainz stopper Loris Karius

Arsenal have joined Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Valencia to sign Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Gunners have stepped up their interest in signing the 21-year-old after Wojciech Szczesny's gaffes against Southampton as the Pole single-handedly spurned three crucial points for the Gunners. The 21-year-old is regarded as Germany's best keeper after Manuel Neuer and with his contract expiring in the summer, has been linked with a lot of clubs.

A product of the Manchester City youth academy, Karius is the youngest stopper to ply his trade in the Bundesliga and has achieved a lot of plaudits for his performances thus far. The Gunners have David Ospina to cover for Szczesny but Wenger is ready to gamble on the youngster and secure Arsenal's long-term future.

The Frenchman was initially willing to wait until the summer but with a lot of clubs prying around, the Gunners are hoping to make a cut-price deal with Mainz to bring the player to the Emirates in January.

However, it will be difficult for the Gunners to convince the player to move midseason, with Karius having already pledged his allegiance with Mainz after snubbing a move to Benfica earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, Szczesny believes that Hull City will be looking for revenge after failing to pip the Gunners to the FA Cup trophy last season. The Tigers had taken a 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes but failed to hold on as the Gunners came back to level the game and score the winner in extra time.

"It's a good pressure,. You want to be winning trophies and then defending them, so we are looking forward to it," he told www.arsenal.com.

"We showed last year we can put a consistent run together in the competition and win it, so we will be looking to do the same again.

"I am sure Hull will have a point to prove, so it will be an exciting game. But when we play in the FA Cup at home we are confident.

"We were very lucky that we got to play every single game at home last year, which was a massive advantage and part of the reason we got to the end. We will be confident but I'm sure they will want revenge," he added.