Moussa Diaby is a transfer option for Arsenal in January, but the winger is likely to cost a similar amount to Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Sky Sport Germany report that with Arsenal’s move for Mykhaylo Mudryk falling through, Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen is now an option for the Gunners.

The winger is under contract until 2025, so Sky expect him to be an expensive acquisition. Though Barcelona’s Raphinha is listed as an alternative, the former Leeds United man reportedly wants to stay in La Liga and hasn’t held any concrete exit talks.

Bundesliga reporters Manuel Veth writes that the price for Diaby would be the same, if not more, than for Mudryk.

Leverkusen could have brought in €70m for the player last summer, and they’ll want an even bigger fee in the light of the Mudryk deal.

In many ways, this would seem to make a deal for Diaby impossible for Arsenal. If they wouldn’t meet Chelsea’s bid for their top target, they’re hardly going to pay more for an alternative.

Perhaps there’s an argument that Diaby is a safer bet, however, given his experience in the top European leagues.

Diaby is just a year older than Mudryk, but he’s played over 130 games in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, scoring 47 goals for PSG and Bayer Leverkusen in all competitions.

By comparison, Mudryk hasn’t played any games in Europe’s top-five leagues, and he was only up to 44 appearances with Shakhtar Donetsk (12 goals).

Both players have made eight international appearances, but Diaby’s were for one of the world’s top national teams in France, as opposed to the lower-ranked Ukraine.

Unfortunately, these are the same arguments you’d expect Leverkusen to be making to Arsenal to justify a high selling price. For now, this deal doesn’t look particularly realistic.