Besiktas are interested in a move for Pablo Mari this summer, but you’d imagine they aren’t going to have much luck with the signing.

AS report that Besiktas are interested in Arsenal defender Pablo Mari this summer. They want to take him on loan for the season, and AS suggest Mari is strongly considering the possibility for regular football and the chance to play in the Champions League.

To me, this rumour seems like a non-starter. At the most basic level, there seems very little justification for Arsenal to loan out a 27-year-old who was playing plenty of games towards the end of last season.

You can understand why AS suggest Mari hasn’t been playing that much, given he only made 16 appearances across the season. But you have to remember he was injured until December, and he had another setback in January.

16 starts in the 29 games he was available for isn’t quite so bad, and that includes both legs of the Europa League semi-final and half of the final 14 games of the Premier League season. He’s not a nailed-on starter, but he’s playing often enough.

Then there’s the fact that Mari is currently one of Arsenal’s only available centre-backs, and he’s almost certain to start on the opening day of the new season.

David Luiz has left, as has Konstantinos Mavropanos, William Saliba is likely to go on loan, Gabriel Magalhaes is injured, and potential signing Ben White is going on holiday after he completes his involvement with England at the Euros.

It doesn’t make any sense for Arsenal to loan Mari out. At best, they might consider selling him if they have plans to bring someone else in. A loan doesn’t improve the situation at all.