Sunderland set to battle West Ham United for Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson

Sunderland have reportedly made a £2m offer to take Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on a season-long loan to the Stadium of Light next season.

According to the Telegraph, West Ham United are keen on retaining the defender for yet another season, but will face competition from plenty of Premier League clubs for his signature.

Jenkinson had a successful loan spell at Upton Park, and the club are hoping that the player will want to remain with them for yet another campaign after Arsene Wenger made it clear that he is not looking to sell the England U21 international on a permanent basis.

The Gunners are confident that the right-back, who joined from Charlton in 2011, still has a future at the club despite the emergence of Hector Bellerin during the course of the 2014/15 campaign.

The north London club are looking for a fee in the region of £2m to take Jenkinson on loan, and West Ham are struggling to match the Gunners' demand.

However, in a blow to the Hammers, the Black Cats have agreed to pay Arsenal the required fee and even offered to pay the England U21 player's wages in full for the entire 2015/16 campaign.

The report claims that Jenkinson, who is currently with the Three Lions U21 squad preparing for the U21 European Championships, is happy to remain at Upton Park, but believes that Sunderland's offer will be too good to turn down for the Emirates Stadium outfit.

Meanwhile, Arsenal skipper Mikel Arteta, who lifted the FA Cup for the second season in a row, has praised his teammates for playing together and for each other during the course of the season.

"The development of this group in the last three or four years has been magnificent. To get to a stage where we are now, the people we have in the dressing room, the way we behave, the way we believe, the way we play for each other and look after each other is phenomenal," Arteta told Arsenal's official site.

"That's not up to me, it's up to all the players and all the effort from the staff and everyone involved at the club. So I'm very pleased with what we've got," the Spaniard added.