JUST IN: Arsenal now reportedly in talks to sign £13m man who has outdone Saka & Vinicius Jr since 2020
Arsenal are said to be in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a deal to sign a Mykhaylo Mudryk alternative in Moussa Diaby.
That is according to Sky Sports, who add that the German side are likely to demand €100m (£88m) from the Gunners if Mikel Arteta and Edu want to make a deal happen.
That is obviously a huge amount of money, although based on Diaby’s volume of goal involvements since the 2020/21 campaign, it is a fair asking price.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
Well, the France international has actually outdone the likes of Bukayo Saka, Vinicius Junior, Phil Foden and Rafael Leao in terms of goals involvements since the 2020/21 season.
In data collected by Squawka for Under-23 players across Europe’s top five leagues, Diaby – who cost Bayer Leverkusen €15m (£13m) – registered 48 goal involvements in total.
The 23-year-old scored 23 goals and provided 25 assists in 6421 minutes of action since the 2020/21 campaign kicked off, which is an exceptional return.
Only Erling Haaland with 86 goal involvements, and Dusan Vlahovic with 58, find themselves above Diaby.
Of course, many Arsenal fans are still upset about missing out on Mudryk to Chelsea.
However, if Diaby is Arteta and Edu’s backup option, then there is plenty to be positive about.
ARSENAL FACE FIGHT FOR DIABY
There is some bad news – Arsenal could face a repeat of the Mudryk debacle by missing out on Diaby to another filthy rich side in Newcastle.
The Daily Mail believe Eddie Howe has made a move of his own for the Bayer Leverkusen No.19 as he aims to keep the Magpies in the Champions League qualification places.
Competitively, Arsenal have more pull than Newcastle given the fact they are top of the Premier League.
However, backed by Saudi Arabian owners, the Magpies can afford to outdo the Gunners financially, so anything could happen in the race to sign Diaby.
