Arsenal may be forced to step up their interest in Moussa Diaby, if they wish to find themselves at the front of the queue for his services this summer, with Newcastle understood to be preparing a €60m (£52.2m) bid, as was revealed by Christian Falk in his exclusive column with CaughtOffside.
Leverkusen on their end are thought to be ‘wary’ of the situation and having their hands tied should the fee in question land on the negotiating table this summer.
“So we’re not quite sure if Arsenal is out of the race for Moussa Diaby. There are three clubs with concrete interest as things stand; one is Arsenal, one is PSG, and the third is Newcastle,” the BILD reporter wrote.
“Newcastle have been interested for a long time and now they’re gearing up to have another go at signing him. We heard they’re preparing an offer of about €60m.
“The last time we talked in the winter, they were interested but the deal never came about because Leverkusen weren’t interested in selling, so Newcastle brought in Anthony Gordon. I think they paid €45.6m but he isn’t the solution they’re searching for, which is why they’re coming back for Diaby.
“He has a contract until 2025 and Leverkusen are wary of having to potentially sell the player if €60m is put on the table.”
The Gunners are thought to be keen on expanding their offensive lineup at the end of the season having already missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea’s wild spending spree.
Given that the Ukrainian has failed to leave much of a mark on the English top-flight following his mid-season switch, however, that may not be a move they particularly regret missing out on as things currently stand.
Boasting impressive speed on the right-flank (though more than capable of filing out centrally and on the opposite flank), the 23-year-old with 14 goals and 11 assists in 44 appearances for Xabi Alonso’s men this term would represent another frightening prospect for Mikel Arteta to develop.
At £52m, it’s not necessarily a price-tag that would preclude Arsenal’s involvement in the transfer battle to come, though one might imagine the Londoners will be wary of being dragged into another bidding war with a Premier League rival.