Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi ‘absolutely dreams’ of a return to German, particularly his ‘Hessian home in Bad Hersfeld’ next summer.
That’s according to Sport 1, who posit that the centre-back could be an ideal signing for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mustafi is in the final year of his deal at the Emirates and is unlikely to sign a new deal at the club, having managed just four appearances this season.
The arrival of Gabriel Magalhães, as well as William Saliba at Arsenal in the summer, have only pushed him further down the pecking order and a parting of the ways seems likely at this point.
He’s been heavily linked with a move to Italy as his wife Vjosa Kaba lives in Switzerland, but Sport 1 have learned from his ‘environment’ that he 28-year-old would like to return to Germany.
And one club that ‘would be a good fit’ for the defender is Eintracht Frankfurt according to the website.
They say the Hessians ‘must master a tremendous change’ in their defence in the coming months, with captain David Abraham potentially leaving for a return to Argentina as soon as January.
It is also unknown whether 36-year-old Libero Makoto Hasebe will renew his contract either and so the club could need replacements for both.
That’s a ‘large gap’ to fill and a ‘verstaile player’ like Mustafi ‘would do well’ as he’s equipped with certain qualities and available on a free.
There is one problem, though, and that is his wages. He earns an estimated €5.5m a year at Arsenal which is more than Eintracht’s highest earner Kevin Trapp, who’s on around €5m.
Thus, Mustafi would have to do ‘without a lot of money’ to make a transfer happen, particularly as Eintracht have been hit hard by COVID-19 and are continuing to negotiate wage cuts as a result.
They’d need Mustafi to take a big cut then, presumably, but with his desire to return to the country and their potential need for a defender, it’s a transfer that’s seemingly there to be done.
