£20m Arsenal bid for Reyes

Arsenal have renewed their attempt to buy Jose Reyes from Seville and have lodged a bid of £20million for one of Spain's most sought-after strikers.

Sportsmail understands that Highbury vice-chairman David Dein travelled to Seville last weekend to re- open talks for the 20-year-old whom they first tried to recruit last summer.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who saw his youthbased side beaten 1-0 at home by Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final, is keen to recruit another striker as a long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp, out of contract this summer.

A bid of £8m for Reyes was rejected by Seville in July, but with the finance in place for the new stadium at Ashburton Grove, Wenger's transfer kitty has been furnished with the kind of funds he now requires.

Reyes is keen on the transfer and claimed in December that Seville would allow him to leave, despite the fact that he signed a seven-year deal only last year.

Ironically, Dein's visit caused confusion in the Spanish media, and some reports claimed that he was there to meet Real Madrid president Florentino Perez about selling striker Thierry Henry, who was rested for last night's game.