Arsenal transfer news and rumors: "Shkodran Mustafi trains alone from Valencia teammates as he waits for Emirates move"
also see: chelsea fc transfer news
According to Sqwawka this morning, Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi is training alone - away from the rest of his Valencia teammates - as he waits for Arsenal to make an increased bid for him.
They claim that Mustafi has already agreed personal terms with Arsenal in what would be a five-year deal, but clubs are yet to agree a fee.
The deal appears to have stalled as Arsenal are reportedly reluctant to pay the £30m that Valencia are demanding for the defender, but Mustafi is training alone nonetheless - with Sqwawka claiming that it is to prevent to risk of picking up another injury that would scupper the deal completely.
It is believed that the German international had been nursing an adductor injury on his return to training after Euro 2016 but it is not believed to be serious.
Southampton's Jose Fonte - the first man ever to do the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and European Championship career double - is now a target for Arsenal, according to ESPN.
While Valencia continue to hold the Gunners to ransom over this blog's standout star Shkodran Mustafi, 32-year-old Fonte is said to be "keen" on a move to Old Trafford, but Jose Mourinho would have to sell before he can buy.
£10m would be enough to seal the deal for Arsenal if they wanted to steal a march, but is Fonte a long-term proposition for a club famously unaccommodating to their over-30s?
We're moving closer to "strongest hint yet" territory now, as it emerges that new Villarreal signing Roberto Soriano - a close friend of Shkodran Mustafi - has been quoted as saying that the Valencia defender is leaving the country.
As the Gunners continue to haggle over the price for Mustafi, Soriano - who played with the German at Sampdoria - had this short lament to spice things up:
I was hoping Mustafi would help me adapt to life in Spain… and now he goes.
Omer Toprak of Bayer Leverkusen and Simon Kjaer of Fenerbahce, according to Sky Sports, are also on Arsene Wenger's radar.
German-born Turkish international Toprak, 27, has been with Leverkusen for six years and would be considerable gamble to thrust into a Premier League title race.
Kjaer, however - no stranger to English transfer rumours in his career - has plied his trade in Seria A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga before arriving in Turkey. Still just 27, he could be an ideal alternative should the Mustafi deal run aground before the deadline.
Meanwhile Don Balon reported that Arsene Wenger is looking to Barcelona to solve his defensive crisis, and claim at that 32-year-old Frenchman Jeremy Mathieu is available for as little as around £10m.
In a move unlikely to ease Gunners fans' fears over their defensive strength, the nonetheless highly-rated 15-year-old defender Ethan Ampadu has been linked with a move from League Two's Exeter City.
The starlet, regarded by many as one of the most promising talents in England, made an accomplished debut for the Grecians in their EFL Cup tie with Brentford last week.
Ampadu's father Kwame currently works as a youth coach at Arsenal and would play a pivotal role in sealing the deal.
"The biggest compliment I can give him is that he plays like a 35-year-old,' Exeter boss Paul Tisdale told BBC Radio Devon about the teenager, who is eligible to play for England, Ireland and Ghana.
