Deal Close: Renowned Journalist Confirms Arsenal Are Set To Sign £25m-Rated Star

Last season, Arsenal practically had only three centre backs to call upon: Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista and the ever reliable Laurent Koscielny. Let's not forget we had Calum Chambers, but Wenger never trusted him and he never really got to play even when there were injuries. This, coupled with the fact that Gabriel hasn't done particularly well since signing for us from Villareal, means many fans have been calling on Wenger to sign another centre back.

These calls became more intense when Per Mertesacker got injured. The German, according to various reports, is set to miss as much as five months of action. And with Laurent Koscielny likely to miss the first three to four weeks of the new season due to his country playing up to the final of European Championship, it means Arsenal are certainly short defensively. Gabriel has also been ruled out of the pre-season with tonsillitis which means there is a chance he may not be fit for the start of the new season.

And to cover these probably and definite absentees in defence, we have been linked to the signing of various centre backs. One of them is Shkodran Mustafi, who is reportedly ready to leave his current club Valencia, according to Daily Star, Valencia has agreed to let the player go this summer. And according to Metro, Arsenal can sign the German if they are ready to pay the asking price which is £20.9m.

Italian football journalist Emanuele Giulianelli, three days ago, confirmed Arsenal made official contact with the agent of the German. And judging by the amount of journalists reporting something similar to Emanuele Giulianelli, it appears Arsenal's interest in the German is real.

Last week contacts between Arsenal and the agent of Shkodran Mustafi, German defender. #AFC

— Emanuele Giulianelli (@EmaGiulianelli) July 25, 2016

Mustafi was one of the best centre backs in the La Liga last season. He averaged 4.4 interceptions and 2.7 tackles per game. He is also strong aerially, which is one area Arsenal seriously needs to improve upon. He is young and has quite a fair amount of experience; he would be a perfect partner for Koscielny.

Unfortunately, I can't see Wenger spending £20.9m on a centre back after the signing of Rob Holding, which worries me. With our current situation, we could well find ourselves out of the title race by the time the first nine games of the season are played. Nevertheless, will Wenger do the right thing and bring in the much-needed signings? Judging by the past, that's doubtful indeed.

Wenger is the type of man who will go into McDonald's and refuse to pay the full price for an Egg McMuffin. Hence, expecting him to do anything meaningful in the remaining days of the summer transfer window could lead to disappointment.

It will be risky going into another season with only Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gabriel and rookies Rob Holding and Calum Chambers as our centre backs, but I won't be surprised if that happens. Wenger went into last season with just three centre backs, so no one should be surprised if he does it again.