Now that Arsenal have confirmed their £10.9 million signing of Lukas Podolski, The Gunners have stepped up their chase of Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen. According to The Daily Mail, Arsenal have opened talks with the club just days after the Dutch giants were all but crowned domestic champions this past Sunday (baring a disaster as they are way ahead on goal difference). 25-year-old Vertonghen has made it publically known he is desperate for a move to the Premier League and now that the title is secure, Ajax have reluctantly agreed a fee with Arsenal for their prized asset who only has one-year left to run on his current contract. As Ajax are under pressure to sell, they are willing to let Vertonghen go for as little as £7 million. Arsene Wenger has been pursuing the 6 ft 2 12 inch tall Belgian international centre-back who has played 146 times for Ajax for months and see him as the ideal player to transform The Gunners shaky defence with as many as three expected to be offloaded in the summer, including Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou. Wenger isn't the only manager who admires the defender with Newcastle boss Alan Pardew having watched the player in Amsterdam twice this past month, though he always knew that The Magpies would struggle to compete with Arsenal for his signature. Pardew is believed to have instead turned his attention to and FC Twente's star defender Douglas, Vertonghen's current Ajax team-mate Toby Alderweireld, all of whom played on Sunday in the Ajax vs Twente match. Tottenham and Chelsea have also monitored Vertonghen but Arsenal have moved the fastest and strongest and are expected to conclude the deal soon.