English Premier League side Arsenal FC is rumored to be settling for AS Monaco defender Marcel Tisserand as the summer transfer window slowly reaches its last few days after La Liga club Valencia CF recently demanded £50 million for center back Shkodran Mustafi.
The Gunners are currently having serious problems about their central defender spots as most of their senior starting center backs are now out with injuries.
Team captain Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista, and Laurent Koscielny are all presently unavailable and so head coach Arsene Wenger is left with the youthful but inexperienced duo of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding as his only options at the position.
Mustafi has been rumored as a shoo-in for the Gunners this summer, but things began turning for the worse when Els Taronges asked for a £50 million transfer fee to let go of the German, which would tie the world record transfer for a defender in history.
The Sun reported that Valencia is planning to buy Spanish forward Pedro from Chelsea for the same said amount so they will not sell Mustafi for anything less.
The report noted that the Gunners are willing to spend more than £25 million for a defender this summer, but they "are unlikely to meet Valencia's £50 million valuation".
Wenger, who is known to be a stingy player during transfer windows, expectedly turned down the deal, which would have been Arsenal's most expensive all-time, and is now reportedly forced to look elsewhere to find defensive reinforcements while the clock is ticking.
Meanwhile, the Mirror indicated that Wenger is looking closely at 23-year-old Congolese center back Tisserand, who is currently suited up for Ligue 1 squad Monaco, as his alternative target before the summer window closes at the end of the month.
Les Rouges et Blancs are said to be waiting for Arsenal's offer while they put on hold the youngster's move to RCD Espanyol as the French club wanted to compare both proposals before making a final decision.
Tisserand is a versatile defender that has a lot of experience despite his age. He can play at center or right back positions, which is something that attracts the attention of Wenger.