Newcastle United may be given a fresh opportunity to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby this summer, but Arsenal are also in the picture.
That’s according to BILD, who explain today that major changes are planned at the German club in the summer after a ‘crisis season’ so far.
They’re currently 10th in the Bundesliga and unless there is significant improvement on that they would end up missing out on all of the targets they set at the beginning of the campaign.
Sports boss Simon Rolfes has already announced that “it’s going to be a different summer than the last one”, and that “there will be a lot more movement simply because of the contract terms.”
Diaby is not one of those whose contract could be put in the risk category given it expires in 2025 but this summer could be the last to make a significant, as waiting another year could see his price go down some more.
Leverkusen are also aware that he is one of their players who is ‘hotly courted’ in the Premier League, with BILD stating that Arsenal and Newcastle are both interested.
That has certainly been the case of the last 18 months or so, when consistent reports have made it clear that Newcastle are keen on the Frenchman.
Back in June it was claimed they were willing to pay €35-40m for him, which was followed by a claim in January that they see him as an ‘absolute dream’ transfer target.
Arsenal have likewise been linked for a while and it was stated in August that a move for him was ‘in the pipeline’.
Neither club moved for him in January, though, with Arsenal first targeting Mykhaylo Mudryk and then doing a deal for Leandro Trossard. Newcastle, meanwhile, spent £40m to sign Anthony Gordon from Everton.
That means they are now well covered in the wide areas, although Allan Saint Maximin has been linked with a move away from St James Park, so that could open up a space for Diaby.
That’s an issue for the summer but the word in Germany is that the Magpies and the Gunners are both interested and Leverkusen are very much in the mood to reshape their squad and sanction major departures if the money is right.
