Arsenal’s £17m hope revealed as Valencia ‘respond’ to first

Arsenal have failed with an opening offer for Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera, according to a report.

The Gunners were said to have started ‘active discussions’ to sign the Spain Under-21 international on Thursday and have been moving at a rapid pace to try to conclude a deal in the coming days.

Mosquera has apparently been identified as a player who could provide excellent cover and competition for William Saliba in particular, having quickly blossomed into an integral figure for Los Che.

The 20-year-old started all but one of his side’s 38 La Liga matches in the 2024-25 campaign, and in the solitary game that he was absent for, Valencia were demolished 7-1 by champions Barcelona.

Mosquera was also a member of Spain’s triumphant Olympic squad last year and recently represented his country at the Under-21 European Championships, where they lost to England in the quarter-finals.

Valencia ‘reject’ opening Arsenal bid for Mosquera

After beginning talks with their Spanish counterparts over a deal for the defender, Arsenal have now seen a first bid rejected by Valencia, according to The Mirror.

The report does not state how much the Gunners’ opening proposal was worth, but as Valencia only have Mosquera under contract until 2026, they are not in a position to demand an extortionate fee.

Talks are expected to continue in the coming days as Arsenal try to strike a deal for under £17m, and there will be no problem with personal terms, as Mosquera is prioritising a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa and Bournemouth are said to be admirers of Mosquera too, but Arsenal are way out in front and expect to progress in talks over a deal for the versatile Spaniard imminently.

Chelsea were also previously linked with the 20-year-old, while German giants RB Leipzig also showed an interest before apparently ending their interest due to the cost of the deal.

Do Arsenal need to add another defender?

Arsenal are already close to announcing three predominantly defensive signings – Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi – and the prospective arrival of Mosquera would not help the notion that Mikel Arteta is becoming an overly cautious coach.

Furthermore, Mosquera will have limited opportunities from the first whistle in the Premier League when fully fit, as Gabriel and Saliba are undroppable at the back when both are fully fit.

However, Saliba in particular can often be short of genuine cover, as Ben White and Jurrien Timber function best as full-backs, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out with a knee problem and is looking likely to leave when his deal expires in 2026.

Given Tomiyasu and White’s lengthy layoffs last season, Arteta was not always able to rest Saliba and Timber as much as he would have liked, but Mosquera’s signing would add another layer of crucial depth and security at both centre-back and right-back.

ID:576333:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4751: