Arsenal ‘Working on’ Deal for Surprise ‘Priority’ Transfer | OneFootball

Arsenal fans are crying out for a new striker, but the latest reporting on the Gunners’ transfer business suggests that a defensive recruit is also seen as a “priority” by the club.

The Gunners are the only member of the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’ yet to bring anyone in so far this summer, with Liverpool and Manchester City signing eight players between them.

But while progress with someone to play in the No. 9 role and score goals has been lacking, The Athletic writes that Arsenal are “working” on a deal to sign centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.

The 20-year-old Valencia talent is said to be viewed as ideal cover for William Saliba and Gabriel, having lacked sufficient depth there last season. In 2025, the Gunners have seen targets Vitor Reis and Dean Huijsen join others clubs instead—Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively.

Arsenal wanted Dean Huijsen until he chose Real Madrid. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Mosquera has been with Valencia for almost a decade already and, despite his age, has started 70 La Liga games across the 2023–24 and 2024–25 campaigns.

Mosquera, who turns 21 this week, is Spanish by birth, but has Colombian parents that give him eligibility to represent the South American country at international level. So far, he has only played for Spain, though, from Under-15 level all the way through to the Under-21 age group.

His reputation doesn’t appear to have been hurt by Valencia’s poor season, which looked as though it would end in relegation from La Liga for the first time since 1986 until escaping the bottom three in the final stretch of the campaign—the resurrection began when former Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion coach Carlos Corberán was appointed on Christmas Eve.

At Arsenal, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber are all capable of filling in at centre-back, but each missed games last season because of injury.