Arsenal are preparing a £25m bid for Besiktas centre-back Domagoj Vida, according to talkSPORT.
Vida was at the heart of the Croatia team which reached this summer’s World Cup final, where they were outplayed by France.
The Gunners are desperate to shore up the centre of their defence despite signing Greece international Sokratis, 30, in a £15m deal from Borussia Dortmund.
Despite signing for the Turkish club in January, Arsenal are confident they can land Vida with a £25m bid.
However, that is contingent upon selling both Shkodran Mustafi, 26, and Danny Welbeck, 27, before the transfer window for buying players closes next week.
The England striker managed 11 minutes playing time at this summer’s World Cup and is deemed expendable with Arsenal’s strikeforce well-stocked.
Mustafi’s departure won’t upset many supporters. The German is viewed as one step away from a calamitous mistake every time he steps on the pitch. Even the arrival of the experienced Sokratis hasn’t helped eradicate basic errors from Mustafi’s game.
The Gunners toyed with the idea of selling the former Germany international last summer but a deal to sell him to Inter Milan failed fell through when the Italians failed to increase their initial offer of a one-year loan followed by an option to buy at £23m.
Even though that and a loan fee of £4.6m brought the total close to the £35m Arsenal paid for the German, they hoped the presence of interest from Juventus would push the price up. It didn’t and Inter pulled out of the deal.
