Shkodran Mustafi Keen to Stay at Arsenal Despite Clubs Willingness to Sell

Shkodran Mustafi has no intention of leaving the Emirates Stadium this summer, even though Arsenal are keen to sell the World Cup winning centre-back.


Mustafi has been heavily criticised for a string of poor performances since arriving in north London, and many had expected his Arsenal nightmare to finally come to an end this summer - with manager Unai Emery having reportedly run out of patience.

However, ​BBC Sport's David Ornstein, known for his inside knowledge of Arsenal's transfer dealings, claims the German has no intention of leaving the club during this window.

The news comes one day removed from ​Laurent Koscielny's refusal to attend the Gunners' pre-season tour of the USA, in an attempt to force through a return to his native France. 


Koscielny's possible departure may go some way to explaining Mustafi's decision to stay, as the 27-year-old likely feels this will put him in a stronger position to challenge Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Rob Holding for a first-team spot next season.


Mustafi had been linked with moves to Fenerbahçe and ​AC Milan in the recent past, though both of these moves now look doubtful, due to the centre-backs desire to remain in the capital. 

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This will frustrate Unai Emery, who has attempted to ​move Mustafi on at every opportunity since taking over from Arsene Wenger last summer. 


The failure to sell the stuttering defender is indicative of the wider failure of ​Arsenal's transfer dealings this summer, with a restrictive transfer budget proving troublesome in the increasingly more expensive market.


They have so far failed to secure moves for their top targets, including ​Wilfried Zaha, Nabil Fekir and ​Kieren Tierney, whilst their attempts to offload the ​astronomical wages of Mesut Özil have also proved fruitless.


Source : 90min