Arsenal issued transfer blow for £70m defender – Mikel Arteta won’t give up

Arsenal have been handed a big transfer blow in their pursuit of a £70m defender, but the good news is that Mikel Arteta won’t give up.

Arsenal have had a terrific turnaround in fortunes over the last few years. When they looked down and out after the Arsene Wenger era, Mikel Arteta has took over from the failed Unai Emery and really given a new lease of life to the club, making them look like genuine contenders.

Last season was the closest they’ve came to winning the title since the invincible season. But in the end, Man C- Well, the less said about it, the better.

Ultimately, a lack of defensive depth is what has cost Mikel Arteta in recent times. They brought in the versatile Jurrien Timber from Ajax to fix this issue. However, Timber is currently sidelined for a significant amount of time. Therefore, Arteta is under pressure to sign another defender in the January transfer window.

Arsenal suffer a transfer blow with Mikel Arteta target Ousmane Diomande

His stance remains clear. He would like to stick with his long-term transfer target of Ousmane Diomande. The 19-year-old is thought to be one of the next best things in European football and having been interested in the Sporting CP star for some time now, Mikel Arteta would like to seal the signing as soon as possible. He has a £70m release clause, which shows how highly valued he is. Of course, the Gunners would like to explore cheaper alternatives.

According to O Bola, Diomande is “happy” at Sporting CP, despite interest in him from other big sides. However, it’s been revealed by Express, that the Gunners still plan to revive their interest in Diomande.

Do you think Arsenal will sign Ousmane Diomande?