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Arsenal in battle to sign £22m star as Arteta eyes Mustafi replacement

By on January 16, 2020

According to The Sun, Arsenal are battling it out with the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Monaco over a deal to sign £22m-rated Getafe centre-back Djene Dakonam.

Mikel Arteta has admitted he needs to strengthen his squad following a disastrous first half to the season and a serious injury to Calum Chambers has forced him to re-think his plans for the January transfer window.

Chambers has been ruled out for up to nine months with a knee ligament injury and The Sun says Shkodran Mustafi is also set to join Galatasaray so Arteta is in the market for a replacement defender.

The newspaper claims Arsenal have identified Dakonam as a target but we’ll face stiff competition for his signature as Tottenham, Monaco, Everton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are also in the running.

The report says Monaco have already seen an opening £12.8m bid rejected as Getafe value the 28-year-old at closer to £22m so we’re going to have to be prepared to dig deep if we want to get a deal done.

Dakonam has been one of the most consistent centre-backs in Spanish football since joining Getafe in 2017 as he was named in the La Liga Team of the Year in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

The Togo international has continued his fine form this campaign with Getafe sitting seventh in the La Liga table with one of the best defensive records in the division having conceded 20 goals in their 19 games – which is three less than leaders Barcelona.

Dakonam is predominantly a centre-back but he’s also comfortable playing at right-back so he’d give Arteta a versatile option in defence as he could cover for Hector Bellerin when needed.

I think he’d be a solid addition to the squad but I’m not convinced Arsenal have the money this month to meet his reported £22m asking price. If Mustafi does leave I can’t see us getting that kind of money and it will probably be an initial loan so I’m not getting my hopes up that Dakonam will be arriving any time soon.