Arsenal were pursuing a deal to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk this winter and had two concrete offers rejected, before Chelsea swooped in, stole the show and signed the 21-year-old winger for €100 million. The Gunners, for whom this isn’t the first time their efforts to sign a players proved in vain over the last six months, will obviously move on to other potential targets, and one of them is reportedly Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby.
The 23-year-old product of the PSG academy joined Leverkusen for a reported fee of €15 million in the summer of 2019, and since then, he’s gone on to score 43 goals and produce 41 assists in 146 appearances in all competitions for the German club. Boasting a lot of pace and penetration, Diaby likes to cut inside from the right and shoot, which obviously makes him a good alternative for Bukayo Saka in the eyes of those at Arsenal.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Bild TV presenter Valentina Maceri said Moussa leaving Leverkusen in January is an extremely unlikely scenario, given his contract runs until 2025 and that his services wouldn’t be any cheaper than Mudryk’s.
