Chelsea have reportedly joined their Premier League rivals Arsenal in the race to sign Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi.
According to Metro, the newly-appointed Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is keen on bringing in another centre-back this summer to further strengthen his defence and has added the 24-year-old Germany international in the list of his options.
The Gunners have not yet formally lodged a bid for the former Everton defender but have reportedly made enquiries about his availability.
Mustafi has a £41m buyout clause in his contract but is reportedly valued at £25m.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger need to bring in a new defender to fill the void created by the injury of Per Mertesacker.
The Arsenal captain sustained the injury during his side’s 1-1 draw with RC Lens in their first friendly of the pre-season in Delelis last month 26 and will spend the next few months on the sidelines.
The Blues’ manager Conte has failed to sign the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Kostas Manolas thus far this summer and sees Mustafi as a less expensive and more viable option.
The German has made 61 appearances for Valencia since joining the club from Serie B side U.C. Sampdoria in August 2014 for a fee believed to be in the region of €8 million. He also spent more than two years with Everton as a teenager.
He has also won 12 caps for Germany since his debut in 2014.
The defender was part of the Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning squad and appeared for his country in Euro 2016, where he scored his only international goal against Ukraine.
Mustafi is currently in England with Valencia on a pre-season tour.
