Valencia boss Pako Ayestaran has suggested that Arsenal‘s offer for Shkodran Mustafi was so big that the club simply couldn’t turn it down.
Mustafi didn’t train with Valencia today and was not included in their squad to face Eibar as he’s expected to complete a move to Arsenal. Furthermore, BBC Sport report that the 24-year-old will have his medical with the Emirates in the coming hours.
On Friday afternoon, Valencia coach attended the press and revealed the offer Arsenal made for the German player was considerable, but that the club has already a replacement lined-up.
“We think of the circumstances. The offer is considerable. We believe that we have an adequate replacement and it is very simple. You have to be smart”, Ayestaran was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.
“It is club policy and we must face a situation that the market has generated. It is not only Valencia. It seems to be a disaster, but it is a situation that we will live through later.
“The economic power of other leagues is so high that often offers are escaping from the rational.
“If an offer is out of proportions, you sell your house,” he concluded.Ayestaran, therefore, hinted that Mustafi’s sale was part of his initial plans for the summer, but Valencia would not have acted reasonably had not they accepted the offer for the defender. The same situation might happen again in the next few days, as Barcelona could splash the cash to get striker Paco Alcacer.
As reported by Cadena Ser, the final deal for the German centre-half will be around €40m, one of the highest fees ever paid for a defender.
Mustafi played 45 minutes in Valencia’s 4-2 defeat against Las Palmas last weekend in their opening game of the season. He made four interceptions and won 50% of his tackles.
Last season, the 24-year-old averaged 11 defensive actions in the 30 appearances he made, and his pass accuracy was 81%.
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