Arsenal are looking to significantly improve their defensive ranks this summer, especially following Per Mertesacker’s retirement and Laurent Koscielny’s injury keeping him sidelined until well into the new campaign.
Plenty of names have been linked with the Gunners, including Borussia Dortmund’s Sokratis, but Gianluca Di Marzio states Arsenal are ready to rival the Bundesliga side in the battle for a different defensive target – Abdou Diallo.
Dortmund are said to currently lead the chase for the defender but Arsenal’s head of recruitment Sven Mislintat is also tracking the 21-year-old, who has established himself as a leading player for Mainz following his transfer from Monaco last summer.
The young Nigeria ace is credited with a strong ability to read the game and could become the latest defensive talent to move to the Emirates Stadium, following Konstantinos Mavropanos and joining the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers.
