Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu have a long-standing interest in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.
The France international has impressed in the Bundesliga, and it seems his performances have seen him attract admirers in the form of Arsenal and Newcastle United in recent times.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the reporter explaining that Diaby is a long-term target for Arsenal, though he’s not looking likely to move this summer as Leverkusen are adamant they don’t want to sell.
The 23-year-old could undoubtedly be a fine fit for Arsenal, who could do with signing an alternative to Raphinha, who ended up moving from Leeds to Barcelona this summer.
“Arsenal were in for Raphinha earlier this summer and have been considering alternatives since he joined Barcelona instead,” Romano wrote.
“Moussa Diaby has long been on Edu and Mikel Arteta’s list but Bayer Leverkusen insist they don’t want to sell him this summer, it has never been an easy deal. The Frenchman was also a popular target for the Newcastle board, but things never progressed.”
Arsenal have had a good summer with the signings of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in particular, but there’s no doubt Arteta could do with more options in attack, with someone like Diaby looking ideal to come in as an upgrade on the under-performing Nicolas Pepe.