Arsenal Lining-Up Deals For Two Defenders Ahead Of Liverpool Game

The summer transfer window is in full swing so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are planning to sign a new defender before the Liverpool game…

Arsenal are looking to sign either Shkodran Mustafi or Jonny Evans before their Premier League opening game against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, according to the Mirror.

Arsene Wenger is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements after Gabriel was forced off during the final minute of Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday night with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.

With Per Mertesacker already facing several months on the sidelines and Laurent Koscielny only just back in training following his extended holiday, it leaves the Gunners short of senior options for the visit of Liverpool this weekend.

It looks like Wenger is working hard to get a new face in before the big kick off as the Mirror claim that Arsenal are trying to line-up deals for either Shkodran Mustafi or Jonny Evans with the aim of landing one of them before Jurgen Klopp’s men arrive in the capital on Sunday.

Mustafi has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates in recent weeks and the newspaper suggests that Valencia would be willing to do business at around £25m, despite the 24-year-old’s buyout clause being set at £42m.

The Mirror claim that Valencia have already started looking for a replacement for the German international so it appears that Mustafi is the most likely to arrive at Arsenal by the end of the week.

However, understandably Wenger has lined-up a back-up plan and the report suggests that Arsenal are also showing a keen interest in Evans with the former Manchester United defender understood to be available for around £15m.

The 28-year-old obviously has plenty of experience in playing in England and he would be a cheaper alternative to Mustafi, but I’m not sure how Arsenal fans would feel about signing a United ‘reject’ this summer.

Either way, it’s imperative that the Gunners get another centre-back on board over the coming days otherwise Wenger may be forced to rush Koscielny back in to action against Liverpool.

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The 30-year-old will only have 5 days of pre-season training to prepare but the only other choice for Wenger would be to throw 20-year-old Rob Holding straight in to action alongside fellow England Under-21 international Calum Chambers.