Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted they drop their interest in Bayer Leverkusen forward Kevin Volland after taking charge.

ESPN says Volland had been regularly scouted during 2019, and under former manager Unai Emery with the Gunners had begun talking to agents about a possible move for the centre forward.

Arsenal continued to monitor Volland while Freddie Ljungberg was in temporary charge.

But after taking over the Emirates hotseat, Arteta immediately raised concerns about the Germany striker's ability - and told technical director Edu and head of football Raul Sanllehi that other areas of the squad needed strengthening as a priority.

Volland has scored nine goals and recorded eight assists in 22 Bundesliga games for Leverkusen this season, as well as notching a single strike in six Champions League games.