Arsenal quoted ridiculous transfer fee for 16-goal winger

Like clockwork, here comes another. Despite the window not opening for over a month yet, and with four games left of the Premier League season to play, Arsenal are being linked with every player under the sun.

The forward line is where most of the rumours are coming from. Some of them are concrete and should be taken very seriously, such as Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City and Lautaro Martinez at Inter, while others float around with the sole intention of stirring the pot.

Often agents will leak stories to either boost the profile of their client or angle for a better contract at their parent club. Sometimes it is both, and sometimes the rumours aren’t rumours at all and in fact solid information worth looking into.

Mikel Arteta and Edu have already submitted their transfer plans for the upcoming window, with the areas they’re looking to bolster sure to have a number of players for each position, while closer to home there will be a few names due for a permanent exit or loans elsewhere.

Arsenal quoted ridiculous transfer fee for 16-goal winger Moussa Diaby as Bayer Leverkusen hold firm on Frenchman’s valuation

In attack is where it is expected to be busiest, with Arsenal hoping to convince Eddie Nketiah to renew his contract on top of bringing in at least one more forward/striker. Versatility will play a part in their search.

The latest name to crop up is one that has been mentioned before, this time coming from German publication SportBILD (via Sport Witness). Moussa Diaby is having a fine season over at Bayer Leverkusen, where his 16 goals and 13 assists have helped his side into third place in the Bundesliga table, as well as reach the round of 16 stage in the Europa League.

Capable of operating on either flank, Diaby mostly lines up in the right wing where he can play inverted, although he is just as comfortable operating on the left and has even featured through the middle. The Frenchman isn’t having an especially ‘breakout’ season, though, as he still notched a very impressive 25 goal involvements in 2020/21. He’s just kept improving and is still yet to turn 23 years old.

Boasting blistering pace and clever decision-making in the final third – he both measured and meticulous with his choice of pass and shot, all done at pace – the profile of the player and his versatility on either side will be interesting to Arsenal, who are said to be making ‘very serious efforts’ to bring him in.

With Nicolas Pepe’s time in north London surely up, another wide player to complement Bukayo Saka and help rotate will be needed over the summer.

Not for €100m (£84m), mind you.

That is the asking price Bayer Leverkusen have slapped on the Frenchman’s head, although should he ‘force the transfer’ then the German side might be willing to negotiate at closer to €75m (£64m). Working under a similar model to Borussia Dortmund, Bayer have no pressing need to sell. Their finances are stable.

From a player perspective there is a great deal to like. At this stage any right-winger who actually runs in behind (that’s a knock on Pepe, not Saka) is a welcome one. However, the fee quoted, regardless of how debatable it may be, is not a clever use of resources.

Lower the price and there is a conversation to be had.