Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Shkodran Mustafi Summer Exit Rumours

Shkodran Mustafi's move to Inter Milan may have hit a stumbling block, as Arsenal are unhappy with the Italian club's offer of a £1.85 million loan deal with an option to make the transfer permanent.

That's according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness' Tom Coast), which reported the German is pushing strongly for the move but that manager Arsene Wenger will have the final say.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Inter's offer is minimal at best, and the loan would further weaken the Gunners defence. Coast summed up Wenger's options: "In the end, the decision is all his: Does he force Mustafi to stay, considering his Arsenal side is already quite fragile, or does he decide to let him leave and try and panic buy before the end of the window?"

ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke, meanwhile, reported that "Juventus have moved to try to hijack Inter Milan's deal" for Mustafi.

Mustafi was on the bench for Arsenal's 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday, a match in which they could have used a strong defensive influence. The former Sampdoria man hasn't been a major success at the Emirates Stadium since arriving last summer, however, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror:

The 25-year-old showed flashes of his talent during his first season in the Premier League, but Arsenal's defence struggled as a whole last year, and Mustafi alone couldn't turn things around.

Wenger doesn't appear to rate the Germany international highly anymore, but this transfer saga remains strange. B/R's James McNicholas is unsure what to make of it:

The Gunners aren't exactly swimming in quality defenders—Wenger was forced to play several full-backs out of position just to get a team on the pitch against Liverpool—and in terms of talent, Mustafi is one of the best options the club has at the back.

Players often take time to adapt to the Premier League, and it seems odd to give up on Mustafi after just one year. While he wasn't great in the 2016-17 campaign, some of his team-mates performed far worse.

There has also been little chatter about a possible replacement this late in the summer, and fans are understandably worried Wenger does not have a backup plan. Paddy Power couldn't help itself:

Moving Mustafi because there are better, younger options is one thing. Loaning him out for a minor fee without having a proper replacement or sufficient depth would be yet another step back for an Arsenal team that is quickly heading towards an early-season crisis.