Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Omer Toprak and Diogo Goncalves Rumours

Arsenal will reportedly look to Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Omer Toprak as an alternative to Shkodran Mustafi after being priced out of a move for the Valencia defender. Meanwhile, Benfica starlet Diogo Goncalves could be on his way to north London.

Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague announced on Sunday that Valencia are not content with selling Mustafi to the Gunners, who may have to trigger his €50 million (£43 million) release clause in order to land him:

This has led to speculation the Premier League outfit could instead move for Leverkusen defender Toprak, per Emre Sarigul of Turkish Football, citing a recent article from the Daily Star, which in turn outlined TransferMarketWeb's report that he could be available for just £14 million.

Arsenal's chances of sealing a move for Toprak look bright after Turkish Football provided quotes from the central defender, who said: "It is not certain whether I will stay at Bayer Leverkusen, we still have a month and anything could happen until then.”

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Manager Arsene Wenger is in need of back-line recruits after he was forced to open the Premier League season with a centre-back pairing of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding for the Gunners, who lost 4-3 to Liverpool.

Despite Toprak's suggestion he could leave the BayArena this summer, Leverkusen director of sport Rudi Voller has said the 27-year-old won't be moving in the current transfer window, per FourFourTwo's Alex Chaffer:

It could spell bad news for Arsenal, who managed to clinch a 0-0 draw against Premier League champions Leicester City on Saturday following Laurent Koscielny's return to the starting XI.

Bleacher Report correspondent Lars Pollmann also highlighted the fact that, with two years left on Toprak's Leverkusen deal, he's likely to be available for a smaller fee in 2017:

Elsewhere, it's understood the Gunners are keeping a careful watch on the progress of Benfica youngster Goncalves, and scout Luis Boa Morte is filing reports for the north Londoners.

That's according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, and Metro's Primeira Liga expert Jan Hagen added Wenger's interest in the Portugal under-19 international has been known for some time:

Goncalves first joined Benfica's academy in 2008 and is on the verge of earning his first-team debut at the Estadio da Luz, having already made 48 appearances for the club's B team.

The 19-year-old winger impressed at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship earlier in 2016, and Goncalves could be in line to become the latest of Wenger's youth investments at the Emirates Stadium.