Arsenal have reportedly tabled an offer worth £60million for Real Madrid player Brahim Diaz and Kylian Mbappe’s impending move to the Santiago Bernabeu could help Mikel Arteta get his man.
France captain Mbappe will leave PSG this summer and is almost certain to sign for the Spanish giants. In turn, that could prompt Los Blancos into selling one of their other attack-minded options. Diaz is already familiar with Arteta from their time together at Manchester City – with the Arsenal manager working as an assistant coach for Pep Guardiola before landing the top job at the Emirates Stadium in 2019.
Diaz also departed Manchester at a similar juncture – as Real made their move – spending three years with AC Milan on loan before breaking into the first-team at his parent club. However, the 24-year-old has been tipped to return to the Premier League this summer.
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Reports from Spanish publication Nacional – as relayed by the Football365 website – indicate Arsenal want to sign Diaz in addition to recruiting a new striker. The Gunners spent big last summer with Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz culminating in a £200million-plus outlay.
Arsenal’s ongoing search for a new number nine has been well-documented, but Arteta is said to want a versatile player to add competition in attacking quarters. Diaz, who can operate as a number 10 or in the wide positions, is valued between £60million and £65million with three years left to run on his contract.
The report states a final decision will rest with Real president Florentino Perez. Diaz has been a regular feature for Real Madrid this season – with eight goals and four assists to show from his 32 appearances – but with Mbappe on his way, that could potentially limit his game-time moving forward.
Diaz initially made his way through the Academy system at Malaga before spending five years at City.
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