Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Arsenal expect PSG to launch rival bid for £65m transfer target Moussa Diaby

Arsenal are expected to face competition from Paris Saint-Germain for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.

Mikel Arteta wants to strengthen his forward line this summer and Diaby has been identified as a possible target.

Arsenal looked at the 23-year-old in January but Leverkusen were reluctant to lose him mid-season.

Diaby has two years left on his Leverkusen contract so this summer represents the best time for the German club to secure as high a price as possible.

He joined Leverkusen from PSG for £13m in 2019 but is expected to go for around five times that figure this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain are targeting young French players as they plan for life after Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is also on their radar, along with Diaby.

Diaby has impressed in the Bundesliga, registering nine goals and eight assists this season.

He has also scored three goals in the Europe League to help fire Leverkusen to the semi-finals, where they face Roma tonight.

Target: Moussa Diaby (Getty Images)

Arsenal’s attack has performed well this season and only Manchester City have scored more goals in the Premier League.

The Gunners signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton in January but, as they prepare for a return to the Champions League next season, Arteta wants further reinforcements.

Arsenal’s transfer budget could be boosted by the departure of Folarin Balogun, who is attracting interest from European clubs after an excellent loan spell at Reims in France.

Balogun has scored 18 goals in Ligue 1 and the 21-year-old forward is keen to continue playing first-team football.

He has two years left on his current contract and is reluctant to go out on loan again.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.