Arsenal transfers targets Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi will reportedly undergo medicals on Friday, ahead of officially signing for the Gunners.
The north London club agreed fees for both players, and has now scheduled medicals, according to BBC Sport‘s David Ornstein:
"The Gunners have reached a deal with Valencia for 24-year-old centre-back Mustafi, who is set to sign a five-year contract for a fee in excess of £35m.They had already agreed to meet a 20m euro (£17.1m) clause to sign Deportivo La Coruna forward Perez, 27, who scored 17 goals in 37 games last season."
Both players will answer obvious needs for manager Arsene Wenger’s current squad. Yet, neither are likely to be registered in time for Arsenal’s next match away to Watford.
They are also likely to be Wenger’s last signings of this window, according to the Daily Telegraph‘s Jeremy Wilson.
The Gunners chief remains “99 per cent confident” of completing the deals, per James Olley of the London Evening Standard.
That confidence appears well-founded after Valencia left Mustafi out of the squad for their upcoming La Liga match against Eibar. Finally signing Mustafi can fix one of the main problems plaguing Arsenal’s start to the Premier League season.
The Gunners have struggled for defensive cover with Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista on the shelf. Youngsters Rob Holding and Calum Chambers were subsequently victimised in a 4-3 home defeat to Liverpool.
Wenger has already indicated Chambers will be allowed to pursue a loan move once the club agrees a deal for a new centre-back, per Metro‘s Max Miller.
Mustafi looks like that player. The 24-year-old is a combative Germany international who can add aggression and aerial prowess to a back four that lacked both last season.
In particular, Mustafi can be counted on as an “experienced” and “strong character,” according to BBC Sport’s Andy West. Mustafi’s robust authority next to Laurent Koscielny’s calm class should give the Gunners the right complement of skills at the heart of defence.
It will be up to Perez to add some goals to an inconsistent attack that let Arsenal down in last season’s title race. The Spaniard’s style is based on pace and intelligent movement. Those qualities make him the type of forward Wenger has coveted all summer.
His attempts to sign Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette fell flat. Yet, those failed moves showed Wenger’s determination to make pace the feature of his forward line.
Things don’t always move as quickly with target man Olivier Giroud through the middle. However, 27-year-old Perez can give the Gunners more incisive runs between the lines. It’s a quality sure to be welcomed by cerebral pass-masters Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla.
Still, not everybody is convinced by Perez, who scored 17 league goals for Deportivo last season. West feels Wenger needn’t have bothered with either Vardy or Perez, and should have focused on jet-heeled Frenchman Kevin Gameiro.
It’s a strong argument given Gameiro’s talent, but Wenger’s eye for a player doesn’t fail him often. Perez will add variety and competition up front.