Arsenal initiate talks for lethal Bundesliga star after Fabrizio Romano drops bombshell two year claim

Fabrizio Romano has revealed Arsenal have been interested in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby for two years, while another journalist claims the Gunners have begun talks over his signing.

Diaby came through the Paris Saint-Germain academy before gaining promotion to their senior squad in summer 2018. He made 34 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit that season, notching four goals and seven assists.

That proved to be his only campaign in PSG’s first team as Leverkusen spent €15million to sign him in July 2019.

Diaby has proven to be a great capture for Leverkusen, establishing himself as one of the top wide attackers in Germany. This term, his record stands at 11 goals and six assists from 33 appearances. No player has scored more goals for Leverkusen this season. Plus, Diaby is their only player to reach 10 strikes or more.

The eight-cap France international has long been linked with a Premier League move. He appears to have all the attributes to shine in the Prem and two clubs in particular want to bring him to England.

Arsenal and Newcastle are believed to be the main English suitors for Diaby. And there has been a double update on Arsenal’s chase for him recently.

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Over the weekend, German football expert Christian Falk detailed Arsenal’s interest in Diaby and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt. He revealed how Arsenal have begun discussions with Diaby’s agent as they look to make progress on a summer transfer.

“I’ve today (Friday) been in Leverkusen to meet Rudi Voller and Florian Wirtz, who is a target of many clubs in Europe, but has decided to stay in Leverkusen minimum til 2024 for the European Championship,” Falk said during an interview with CaughtOffside.

Arsenal in transfer talks amid two-year pursuit

“When I entered the lift in Leverkusen’s Club Center, Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen’s sporting director, was already in. He told me that he saw the many rumours about Premier League interest in six players of his, several of which I wrote about in my last column.

“He joked that he now has a lot of work to do because of that. One player in this column was Moussa Diaby.

“Arsenal still have an interest in Diaby. The Bayer Leverkusen star’s agents are in contact with the club.

“However, it’s worth noting that the Gunners are also interested in Dortmund’s Julian Brandt. The club has yet to make a final decision on that front.”

Romano has joined Falk in providing the latest on Diaby’s situation. During his own interview with CaughtOffside, Romano revealed how Arsenal have incredibly been tracking Diaby for two years. Although, they have not been able to strike an agreement in that time.

Gunners have long-term interest in Moussa Diaby – Romano

“Arsenal have appreciated Moussa Diaby for a long time,” the transfer guru said.

“It’s almost two years following him but the same happened with other clubs including PSG and Newcastle.

“Bayer Leverkusen wanted to keep him last summer and in January, for this summer it will depend on the value of the proposals.”

It seems Arsenal will have two transfer rivals for Diaby, in the form of PSG and Newcastle. Those two clubs will both be able to present attractive proposals to the 23-year-old.

However, there is a good chance Arsenal will triumph in the race for him. If they win the league title this season, then they will be able to show Diaby that big trophies will be on offer if he moves to the Emirates.

Of course, PSG regularly win their own league titles. But the fact is the French top flight is not as much of an attractive prospect as the Prem right now.

Newcastle will certainly be in the mix for major trophies in the future. Indeed, they have already reached the Carabao Cup final. But Arteta’s project at Arsenal is a few steps ahead of Newcastle’s, and this should help the Gunners land Diaby first.

Meanwhile, Ian Wright has sung the praises of one Arsenal attacker following his great display against Fulham on Sunday.