Arsenal are unlikely to secure a deal for Shkodran Mustafi before the close of the transfer window, according to Sky Sports’ La Liga expert Guillem Balague.

The Gunners have been heavily aligned with the Germany international of late, with reports this morning suggesting that Los Che will sell to fund their pursuit of Chelsea winger Pedro.

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However, Balague has poured cold water on such speculation, revealing he believes Mustafi is unlikely to leave the Mestalla Stadium this summer - with the Spaniards anxious that they’ll be unable to secure a replacement before the looming deadline:

He told Sky Sports: "The coaching staff at Valencia think Mustafi will not go, and this is the same message being made by Valencia.

"They insist the only way Mustafi will be allowed to leave is if Arsenal trigger his €50m (£43.1m) buy-out clause, which I think everybody will agree is too much money for him.

"Valencia's position is such because they don't think they can find someone to replace him, given the proximity of transfer deadline day. It's a similar stance to the one they have with Barcelona target Paco Alcacer, or at least that's the message they are giving out.

"So, as things stand, neither Mustafi nor Alcacer will be leaving Valencia. I heard Arsene Wenger confirm publicly that Arsenal were in negotiations for Mustafi. That's very rare for him to do so. Perhaps he is trying to apply some pressure on Valencia to sell.

"Valencia have had difficulties with Financial Fair Play, but that has improved recently. They still need to sell one or two players, but they would rather part with the likes of Aderlan Santos or Lucas Orban, sales which they believe would bring the club in line with the regulations.

"So they are not as desperate as some are making them out to be."

Mustafi, 24, has been a key player for Valencia since his 2014 arrival at the club from Sampdoria.

Prior to playing for the Italian side, the centre-back was at Everton, but he failed to make any sort of impact at Goodison Park despite being highly-rated as a youngster.

Since leaving the Toffees, Mustafi has enjoyed success at international level, helping Germany to World Cup success in 2014 before being a part of their European Championship set-up earlier this summer.

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