Juventus are reportedly considering a late €20 million bid to sign German defender Shkodran Mustafi from Arsenal in a deadline day move.

According to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, as carried out by Sport Witness, Shkodran Mustafi is the subject of interest from Juventus. The Bianconeri are plotting a shock deadline day move for the German defender, who is valued at €20 million by Arsenal.

Mustafi has endured a rocky spell at Arsenal since making the switch from Valencia in the summer of 2016. Over the last three years, the 27-year-old has flitted in an out of the side, having struggled to maintain any semblance of consistency. And, following the appointment of Unai Emery, he dropped further down the pecking order.

The arrival of Sokratis Papastathopoulos meant that both the Greek defender and then-captain Laurent Koscielny were the first-choice central defensive partnership when fit and available. And, with David Luiz joining Arsenal this summer, Mustafi has become a peripheral figure for the North Londoners.

Set to leave? (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Set to leave? (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

As a result, it has become clear that the German international is surplus to requirements at Arsenal, which widespread reports have confirmed as well. While Emery recently insisted that it would be better for Mustafi to seal a departure from the Emirates, there has been very little interest forthcoming from prospective suitors.

AC Milan were linked with the defender for a brief period as were AS Monaco. But, neither club followed up with their interest in the player. But, as it now turns out, the beleaguered Arsenal star could be set for a return to Italy after all after showing up on the radars of Juventus.

The Bianconeri did bolster their central defensive options this summer by signing Matthijs de Ligt and Merih Demiral. But, Juventus have had to rethink their transfer strategy due to the long-term injury contracted by Giorgio Chiellini and with Daniele Rugani linked with a late exit, Maurizio Sarri could be left with just three centre-backs at his disposal.

As a result, Juventus are, as per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Sport Witness), plotting a late move for Mustafi, who has a €20 million price tag. While the Arsenal defender is unlikely to feature much, having him in the squad means Sarri will have sufficient backup in case another injury befalls his squad.

It now remains to be seen if Juventus indeed follow up with their interest in Mustafi by lodging a bid worth €20 million for him. As of now, all that is clear is that the German defender’s career is headed nowhere at Arsenal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.