Arsenal have overtaken Newcastle United in the race to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports in France.

Loic Tanzi reports for L’Equipe that whilst Moussa Diaby is a priority target for Newcastle United, they aren’t a priority for him.

The suggestion is that Newcastle have fallen behind Arsenal in convincing the player to join them in a summer transfer.

RMC Sport claim Bayer Leverkusen as expecting to make €50m (£42.8m) for Diaby’s sale, adding that Arsenal and Newcastle are both particularly interested in the move.

RMC claim Arsenal made a firm offer for Diaby on the last day of the 2022 summer window. They could now be set to return for him.

The Evening Standard previously reported that Arsenal had looked at Diaby in the winter window, but Leverkusen didn’t want to let him go mid-season.

The Daily Mail claimed Diaby is one of Arsenal’s key targets, with Mikel Arteta looking to add a versatile attacker to his squad if possible.

But links appeared to fade as Arsenal came close to an agreement on a new contract for Reiss Nelson, seemingly putting the pursuit of a wide forward on the backburner.

The French media clearly remain convinced that Arsenal are still in the race for Diaby, and perhaps the situation will become clearer after the Gunners conclude negotiations for the signing of Declan Rice – one way or another.

Diaby is under contract with Leverkusen until 2025, and he managed 14 goals and 11 assists this season, bringing him to 49 goals and 48 assists in 172 games for Bayer Leverkusen overall.

The 23-year-old is also a France international, and he can play on either wing.