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BBC & Sky Sports journalists offer updates on Arsenal’s Mustafi deal

By on August 15, 2016

Some reliable journalists have provided updates on Arsenal’s proposed move for Shkodran Mustafi this evening and it seems the deal is still hanging in the balance.

Mustafi has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates in recent weeks but the negotiations with Valencia have been dragging on for some time.

Sky Sports reported last week that personal terms had been agreed with the player but a fee is yet to be agreed with Valencia and their journalist Kaveh Solhekol has now taken to Twitter to claim that a potential £28m deal is now edging closer.

David Ornstein – who works for the BBC – then offered his own update by saying that Mustafi remains keen to join Arsenal but we are struggling to agree a deal with Valencia as the club are holding back funds to try and sign a striker.

Ornstein went on to say that while Mustafi remains the priority, Wenger is now considering Omer Toprak and Simon Kjaer as possible alternatives in-case we can’t get a deal agreed for the German international.

Toprak is a Turkish international who’s been impressing with Bayer Leverkusen in recent years while the 27-year-old also put in some excellent performances for Turkey at Euro 2016.

Kjaer has been linked with Arsenal for many years and the Danish international only joined Fenerbache from Lille last summer, but both players are regarded as fall-back options if we can’t land Mustafi.

We desperately need a centre-back to come in as soon as possible, as was highlighted by our 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, but it looks like Arsenal are refusing to meet Valencia’s demands for the 24-year-old.

We all know Wenger has a budget to work to so if stretching ourselves to sign Mustafi means we won’t have enough money left over to sign a top class striker, then we’re doing the right thing looking at cheaper alternatives in defence.

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We HAVE to sign both a centre-back and a striker before the window closes but time is running out so if Valencia aren’t going to lower their demands, then we should move on and push ahead with another deal.