Arsenal look to beat Manchester United in signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan

Arsenal are considering a move to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

The German international's contract at Signal Iduna Park expires at the end of this season and he has already admitted that he is not willing to sign a new deal. Manchester United are keen on bringing the talented player to Old Trafford as Louis van Gaal looks to bolster his side's midfield.

"Ilkay told us he wants to leave this summer. But we have received no offers from any clubs for any of our players as of now," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc is quoted as saying by Goal.com.

"Every player always has to make decisions on their future but, for us, the intention is clear to keep Mats [Hummels]."

With Zorc confirming no club have made an official approach, the Gunners are hoping to beat their league rivals and hijack United's deal by landing Gundogan.

The midfielder's father Irfay Gundogan is his agent and Arsene Wenger's side have already made contact with the 24-year-old's family as Arsenal look to bring him to the Emirates.

United still have two more games left in this campaign and the 20-time English champions are not willing to make an official approach before the season ends. The Red Devils are also worried about his injury record.

The same report claims Dortmund's league rivals Bayern Munich and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are also in the hunt to land the player.

Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker claims football is "brutal" after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Swansea City. The Gunners dominated the game, but were unable to beat the Welsh club's goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

"We tried everything to get in front, to get an opener. That would have been lovely and have made it so much easier for us," Mertesacker told Arsenal's official website.

"But it didn't happen and [shows] how brutal football is. All of a sudden they score out of nothing so yeah, one of those nights.

"I think we were patient over the 90 minutes. You could see in the second half that we were nearly there. We had the chances, we created more and more and we put them under massive pressure," he said.