Arsenal ‘have looked at’ £88m star who’s faster than Mbappe at the Emirates – GiveMeSport

Arsenal might explore signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby although his club’s stance means any potential move is unlikely until the summer, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.

The Gunners were keen on Mykhaylo Mudryk prior to Chelsea hijacking the move and completed a move for Leandro Trossard on Friday, but Diaby is a long-term target and it remains to be seen if a swoop could be revisited in the summer.

Arsenal transfer news – Moussa Diaby

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal made contact with Bayer Leverkusen over a potential deal for Diaby, whose pace has been compared to a “turbo engine”. In fact, the UEFA Champions League’s official website shows that his top speed in the competition this season is higher than Kylian Mbappe’s.

The 23-year-old is unlikely to come cheap, with Sky Sports also claiming that his club valued him at around £88m last summer.

Mudryk was the winger Mikel Arteta wanted to sign this month, but the Spaniard was forced to turn elsewhere after Arsenal failed to reach an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for his signature, something that Chelsea pounced on. He has at least been able to add Trossard to his squad.

“We realised we will not close this deal [with Arsenal],” Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin recently told The Athletic. “I said to Edu that I did my best but it was not possible [based on the structure of their offer].”

What has Ben Jacobs said about Moussa Diaby and Arsenal?

With Mudryk no longer on the table, Jacobs thinks Arsenal could now turn to Diaby although it appears a summer move is more likely with Leverkusen not keen to lose the Frenchman now.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: “I think that we have to still consider that Arsenal might explore players like Diaby, who’s been linked.

“But with Diaby, Leverkusen have said before that they don’t want to sell mid-season, and Arsenal have looked at Diaby before without ever moving.”

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: Confirmed Deals, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

Will Arsenal definitely sign another winger this month?

You can easily see a scenario where Arsenal perhaps hold off from bringing in another wide man after landing Trossard.

The valuations of some of their targets this month have been crazy. In the next transfer window, where selling clubs will have more time to replace their players, it may be easier to negotiate.

Of course, Arteta may be desperate to strengthen his squad even further. With the north London outfit chasing the Premier League title, drastically improving their team during this campaign could obviously go a long way.

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It is quite clear, though, that Arsenal are not willing to pay any amount of money for a player they are interested in. And given what Arteta is getting out of his current squad, it is understandable.

Ultimately, Arsenal signing another winger in this transfer window is far from a guarantee, let alone one that could cost £88m like Diaby.

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