Werder want to keep Mertesacker

Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs claims the club have no plans to sell central defender Per Mertesacker. Speculation continues to link the Germany international with a move elsewhere, with Arsenal reported to be among those expressing an interest.Bremen, though, are adamant that the centre-half is not for sale and have been given no indication by the player or his representatives that they are looking for a transfer."I have already said on a couple of occasions that Per will be staying on at our club and will go on playing for Werder Bremen," Allofs told BILD."Nothing has changed with regard to this and neither Per nor his agent have come to us saying that they have received an offer."While Bremen are confident regarding their chances of retaining Mertesacker, they face a struggle to keep Mesut Ozil at the club.The talented playmaker, who impressed at this summer's World Cup, is attracting mounting interest and, with just a year left to run on his contract, Allofs accepts that a deal could be struck should a suitable offer be lodged."There are many clubs interested in Mesut, but none of these clubs have made an offer as yet," he said."Should there be an offer on the table, we would consider it. Everything is still possible at the moment."I would like to see the transfer window close now, with the team we have, because we are looking forward to competing in the Champions League."

Source: Team_Talk