Since Per Mertesacker’s injury, it seems Arsenal’s hunt for a new centre-back has gone up a gear and the main target, according to the European media, happens to be Valencia’s Shkodran Mustafi.
The German broadcaster says the Premier League side have contacted the player’s agents and are ready to make their interest official with a bid to Valencia.
Sky Sports Germany state the player’s agents will travel to Valencia to speak with their client’s current club to see if they can get him a move to England.
While it’s been made clear the player’s release clause stands at €50m, it seems unlikely that Arsenal will meet that, with the German TV channel reporting a fee of €30m + €10m in performance related bonuses a more likely offer.
Things seem to be moving fast here, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for it as things develop.
