Friday, March 29, 2024

Report: £25million Defender Wants To Move To Arsenal This Summer

Arsenal could be one step closer to getting their next deal over the line, after The Mirror revealed Shkodran Mustafi is eager to join the Gunners.

Embed from Getty Images

Following reports that Arsene Wenger had entered talks for the 24-year-old earlier this week, Arsenal fans are now gearing up to welcome the centre back.

And they’ve been handed another boost after reports broke that Mustafi was keen on the idea of switching life at Valencia for a long-term move to the Emirates.

The La Liga side are in desperate need of funds this summer in order to balance the books following their troubles with debt and the promise of a new stadium.

Those plans for a 61,000 seater have been on the drawing table for over five years now, and if they want to make any long-term plans then cash is needed fast.

Embed from Getty Images

Although they’re reluctant to losing their star players, Valencia are happy to wave goodbye to top talent if the right price is agreed, which is why Arsenal are keeping tabs.

Mustafi would come with an attractive price tag of just £25m, which is significantly less than his reported release clause of just over £42m.

That tells us that Valencia are looking for a quick sale and Wenger needs a defender capable of slotting into a dare I say it, world-class squad as they gear up for the new season.

He would certainly be an improvement on the ageing Per Mertesacker, who now faces up to five months on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury in pre-season.

Talks between the two clubs are going well if we’re trusting what the media are telling us, and it might not be long until we see Mustafi in a red and white jersey.

He’s not the finished article that every fan would’ve wanted but in this market it’s incredibly difficult to find someone who ticks every box both on paper, and on the pitch.

However, the German internationals age provides him with a perfect chance to slot in between experienced players like Koscielny and promising youngsters like Rob Holding.

Wenger said he’s looking for a defender, he also said he’s looking for experience, Mustafi has both of those qualities in the bag following his spells in the national team.

To me, this looks to be the most likely deal to go through if both parties can agree on terms over the next few weeks.

Want more Arsenal news like this? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Explore more