Arsenal are planning to focus on signing Moussa Diaby before making a move for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.
That is according to a report from the Daily Mail, who claim that Arsenal are ‘prepared to spend big’ this summer.
The Gunners may end up missing out on the Premier League title but they are back in the Champions League.
That means more money to spend and greater pulling power, and Arsenal are ready to go for it in the transfer market.
Arsenal want to add another winger and It’s stated that Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby is emerging as a top target.
The report claims that Arsenal have ‘serious interest’ in luring Diaby to North London and he will cost more than £50million.
Arsenal’s desire to add another wide man means they are also looking at Wilfried Zaha, who is out of contract this summer.
However, Arsenal want to focus their attention on trying to sign Diaby before going for Zaha.
There may be a strong chance that Zaha moves on for nothing whilst Arsenal are focusing on Diaby.
That’s the risk Arsenal will now take though, seemingly believing that Diaby is the man for them and Zaha is a cheap fallback option.
Why Arsenal will rate Moussa Diaby ahead of Wilfried Zaha
Zaha is an appealing option on a free transfer but you can understand why Arsenal want Diaby.
The former Paris Saint-Germain talent has absolutely blistering pace for a start, terrifying defences in a different way to Zaha.
Zaha’s best goalscoring season for Palace saw him score 15 times in all competitions in the 2021-22 campaign.
Diaby is on 14 goals this season with 10 assists, whilst he finished last term with 17 goals and 14 assists.
Branded ‘astonishing’ over in Germany, Diaby is just so productive in the final third and makes the big moments count.
You can’t avoid the age difference either; Zaha turns 31 later this year whereas Diaby only turns 24 in July.
It also makes a little more sense for Arsenal to go for a left-footer in Zaha, providing competition for Bukayo Saka, than add another right footer when Arsenal already have Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe.
Zaha may be a boyhood Arsenal fan but Arsenal’s preference to go for Diaby makes sense.
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