Juventus to Battle Inter Milan This Summer in Signing Arsenal Centre-Back Shkodran Mustafi

Italian club Juventus have shown an interest in signing Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi this summer.

Juventus' Serie A rivals Inter Milan are also keen on acquiring the services of the 25-year-old, but according to Italian outlet TuttoSport, via the Express, Juventus have made contact with the North London club to discuss a move for Mustafi.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is said to be eageron selling the Germany international this summer because he has failed to bond with several of the players in the Arsenal squad, after signing from Valencia 12 months ago. 

According to the report, a loan deal to Juventus was mooted in talks, but Wenger is more interested in regaining the £35m he spent on Mustafi last summer.

Mustafi almost rejected the move to London after a disappointing time at Everton from 2009 to 2012. The German claims to have never wanted to return to Everton insisting that it was the worst time of his career in the Premier League.

Mustafi said: "To be honest at the beginning I thought I was done with England. It was really frustrating and probably the worst time I had as a footballer. I didn’t want to go there again. But then when it came down to making a decision to stay or leave, I thought I would only leave Valencia if I had the opportunity to go to England."

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He added: "I was thankful that I had another opportunity to make a step forward by coming to Arsenal. For the rest of my life, I don’t want to be patient anymore."

Juventus boss Max Allegri is looking to bolster his defensive line going into the new Serie A campaign after losing Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan last month for an estimated £35m - the same price Wenger paid for Mustafi.

However, the report also suggests that Wenger will only be open to selling Mustafi if he is able to find a suitable replacement in the next week.