Manchester United defender target Benedikt Howedes sets sights on Premier League move

Manchester United and Arsenal defender target Benedikt Howedes has admitted his desire to play in England when he leaves current club Schalke.

The German international defender has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past, with recent reports suggesting that the Red Devils and the Gunners are set to battle for his signature during the summer transfer window.

Howedes, who is currently the captain of the Bundesliga club, is a versatile player, who can play at centre-back or provide cover in the full-back positions, a role he successfully played for Germany; this makes him an attractive prospect for interested clubs.

The report claims that Arsene Wenger has had the defender watched a number of times and Louis van Gaal has also made it a priority to strengthen his defence after the end of the current campaign.

The German defender, who played a key role during Germany's World Cup triumph in 2014, is contracted to Schalke until the summer of 2017, but it is believed that a fee in the region of £14m will be enough to prise the defender away from his current employers.

Now the 26-year-old has admitted that he will prefer a move to England when he decides to leave the German club, as he cannot see himself playing for any other Bundesliga club apart from Schalke.

"If I am to leave Schalke one day, I do not want to move clubs within the Bundesliga," Howedes said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"Schalke is too close to my heart to do so. But a move abroad at a certain time would be worth an experience. England would be my goal," the World Cup winning defender added.