According to ESPN, Arsenal haven’t given up hope of keeping Shkodran Mustafi even though talks have stalled over a new deal.
It’s claimed that Arsenal have hit an impasse in their hopes of keeping Mustafi, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
He will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club from January 1st, meaning Arsenal have just a month to prevent that from being possible.
Talks have stalled, but Arsenal allegedly still hope to convince Mustafi to stay and sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.
That may be a surprise to some Arsenal fans, given that Mustafi has largely been a disappointment since his £35million move from Valencia in 2016.
Mustafi, 28, has only made two Premier League appearances this season, but Mikel Arteta seem keen to keep hold of him heading into next season.
Catalan newspaper SPORT reported last month that Barcelona want to sign Mustafi, with Ronald Koeman keen to add an experienced centre back in January to ease their defensive injury crisis.
If Arsenal can’t sort out a new deal for Mustafi this month, they may well be tempted to cash in when the January window opens, before the German international leaves for absolutely nothing.
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