Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Gunners Rumours Ahead of Summer-Window Deadline

Valencia manager Pako Ayestaran is adamant that Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi will not be leaving the club this summer.

Per Goal's Cesar Hurtado, Ayestaran spoke after Valencia's defeat to Las Palmas in their opening game of the season and said: "Mustafi is not for sale and will not be leaving the club."

Football journalist Guillem Balague reported as much on Sunday:

The German was not in the starting lineup for Valencia, but he did make an appearance from the bench, with Ayestaran confirming he did not start the game for fitness reasons.

Arsenal, who were already in need of a new long-term centre-back partner for Laurent Koscielny at the start of the summer, are now desperate for another recruit following injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista.

Mustafi would represent a strong purchase—the 24-year-old is fairly experienced having made over 100 appearances across La Liga and Serie A as well as earning 12 caps for Germany, including three at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Per WhoScored.com, he's also dominant in the air:

Meanwhile, it seems Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has been preparing for this eventuality; according to the Mirror's John Cross, he has also made contact with AS Monaco regarding defender Marcel Tisserand.

The 23-year-old was close to joining Espanyol, but the move has "been put on hold" as Tisserand wants to see if Arsenal will make a move for him.

Tisserand spent last season on loan at Toulouse. Here are some of his highlights:

The Congolese defender can play in the centre and on the right and was used regularly in both positions. Indeed, he has the pace and dribbling ability of a full-back—which he uses to forge opportunities for the team going forward—but he's also a capable defender, if not quite as good as Mustafi. 

Here's a look at the pair's stats from last season, courtesy of Squawka:

	Mustafi	Tisserand
Apps	30	33
Minutes	2,681	2,840
Tackles	51	64
Aerial Duels	87	61
Interceptions	133	89
Blocks	22	11
Clearances	168	164
Chances Created	4	14
Take-Ons	7	17
Pass Completion	81%	78%

Mustafi would likely be the better signing of the two, but evidently he will be much harder to prise away from Los Che.

Tisserand could still make a useful recruit, though. With time running out in the transfer window, Arsenal must act quickly—they cannot afford to go another summer without bringing in the players they need if they're to compete for the Premier League title.