Report: Italian giants want to sign Arsenal ace Shkodran Mustafi

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AC Milan are weighing up a move for Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi during the summer, according to Italian news outlet Calciomercato.

The Serie A club are looking to bolster their defensive ranks and are looking at the World Cup winner as a potential option.

Prior to the break due to the global health pandemic, Mustafi had lost his place in Mikel Arteta’s team.

During the club’s last two outings, the Spaniard had preferred January signing Pablo Mari for a place in his rearguard.

Mustafi has performed a lot better since Arteta came in but as it looks likely that he will slip down the pecking order, he might look to head elsewhere.

The defender has been at Arsenal since 2016 signing from Valencia for £35 million (BBC Sport).

Mustafi earns £90,000-a-week at the Emirates Stadium and with finances likely to be tight in the summer, those wages could be better utilised elsewhere.

AC Milan are seventh in the Serie A table and clearly they need to tighten up during the summer.

If a deal can be agreed which sees the 27-year-old head to Milan then it could work for all parties.

Arsenal would clear the space in their squad for another player and offload some unnecessary wages.

Milan would land themselves a vastly experienced defender and Mustafi would earn the chance of a clean slate with a new club.

Timing

The Gunners have accepted mediocrity for far too long and stockpiling players should become a thing of the past.

Arteta will probably try and target another defender during the summer and that will push Mustafi further down the pecking order.

Mustafi has played 133 games for the Gunners and it’s fair to say he hasn’t always been the most reliable.

With that in mind, the time looks clear for Arsenal to cash in on the German.