Following the injury sustained by Zinho Vanheusden during the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday, Inter stepping up their interest in some of their summer targets for the centre-back position would be the next logical step.
After all, if the injury is as serious as some think it is (cruciate ligament), then that would leave Luciano Spalletti with just three central defenders for the foreseeable future.
However, if Calciomercato are to be believed, Arsenal and Shkodran Mustafi are safe from the Serie A side’s advances.
The Italian website claim on Thursday that despite the young Belgian’s knee injury that saw him get stretchered off the pitch in tears from a game against Dynamo Kiev, Inter will not be returning for the Gunners’ German centre-back.
Seemingly rather close from returning to Italy towards the end of the transfer window, where he’d already spent time at Sampdoria, Mustafi ended up staying at the Emirates and has now fully returned to the first-team.
Helping Arsenal keep three clean sheets in their last three league games, including a tough away fixture to Chelsea, Mustafi is being ‘kept close’ by Arsène Wenger, and Calciomercato go as far as saying the path to signing him is now ‘frozen’.
Perhaps next summer, then?
