Arsenal Dealt Transfer Blow Despite Wenger Saying He ‘Hopes’ To Sign £42m Star

The transfer window is now drawing to a close so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, the latest on Arsenal’s pursuit of Shkodran Mustafi…

Valencia boss Pako Ayestaran insists Shkodran Mustafi isn’t for sale this summer despite Arsene Wenger confirming he hopes to secure a deal for the £42m-rated defender, according to the Mirror.

We desperately need to strengthen our defensive options before the end of the month after losing both Gabriel and Per Mertesacker to injury and Mustafi has been widely considered to be Wenger’s top target.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this month that the 24-year-old had agreed terms to join Arsenal this summer but we’ve been struggling to agree a fee with Valencia in recent weeks.

The Mirror claimed on Monday that Arsenal chief Dick Law had flown out to Spain to thrash out a deal but was stunned to learn the La Liga outfit were refusing to do business for anything less than the full value of his £42m (€50m) release clause.

Wenger publicly confirmed his interest in Mustafi over the weekend before revealing that Arsenal remained in negotiations with Valencia and he hoped to get a deal agreed soon. Arsene is quoted as saying by Sky Sports:

“Mustafi? We hope it will be done  He is one of a number of players we are looking at. Negotiations are ongoing.”

However, Valencia boss Pako Ayestaran insisted last night that Mustafi wasn’t for sale and he’s had assurances from the clubs president that the defender won’t be going anywhere this summer.

Speaking after Valencia’s 4-2 home defeat to Las Palmas last night, Ayestaran is quoted as saying by the Mirror:

“Mustafi is not for sale and he will stay at Valencia. The market is open and there are still possibilities,”

“With Alcacer I can be as firm as with Mustafi, Lay Hoon already said it,’

“The president has said in public that Alcacer and Mustafi are not for sale and I have to believe her.”

Mustafi was left out of the starting eleven before coming on as a second half substitute last night but the German international isn’t regarded as being match fit yet and has been nursing a minor knock in training over the past week.

It looks like Valencia are either playing hardball or really are refusing to sell for anything less than his £42m release clause but either way it’s a dangerous game Wenger is playing as we could end up missing out on signing a defender altogether.

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Several alternative targets are being linked but if Mustafi is the player Wenger wants, he should have made sure the deal was done before the start of the season. I’ll never understand why the boss insists on leaving things so late in the hope that he’ll get a better deal.