Ligue 1 outfit Monaco are interested to sign Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi this summer, as per reports.
Monaco were in tatters last season and it has been claimed by The Guardian that they are willing to lure Mustafi to Stade Louis II to beef up their defensive line.
The Red and Whites avoided relegation by just two points, shipping 57 goals in 38 league games. Therefore, they have put Mustafi on their radar to fix their leaky defence.
However, Arsenal are demanding £27million for striking Mustafi off their books as they are looking to recoup most of the £35million they had paid to sign him from Valencia in 2016.
Monaco could plug out the plugs due to the apparent price set by the north London outfit on the German defender’s collar and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
Should Arsenal sell him and reinvest?
In all honesty, Mustafi has been mediocre ever since he moved into the Emirates Stadium and hasn’t been able to inject adequate resilience into Arsenal’s backline.
His form, particularly during the previous campaign, was worryingly poor and far from convincing and was criticized by the fans and media due to his abject performances.
The 27-year-old was poor in possession and was notably sloppy in his endeavours. He has simply been not good enough to represent an elite club like Arsenal.
Mustafi did get enough opportunities to rectify himself and he was backed well by Unai Emery but he couldn’t live up to the expectations that were nested on his shoulders.
Therefore, it will make a lot of sense if Arsenal sell him in the ongoing transfer window and invest the funds to reshape their defensive sector before the start of the new season.
The need to strengthen the defensive line
Veteran central defender Laurent Koscielny is set to make an exit this summer after his bust-up with the club’s management last month.
William Saliba has been signed this summer by Arsenal but the 18-year-old has been loaned back to Saint-Etienne and will, thus, not be available in the upcoming season.
If Mustafi and Koscielny leave this summer, Emery will be left with Sokratis, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Konstantinos Mavropanos to fill his central defence.
Emery has been shrewd in enhancing his artillery, having signed Gabriel Martinelli and Dani Ceballos to fix a couple of loopholes in his side. Besides, Nicolas Pepe and Kieran Tierney are also expected to be acquired.
If the Spaniard manages to sell Mustafi and sign a proven centre-back, Arsenal will be able to solve their long-standing defensive woes and challenge for major honours next season.