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As per The Athletic (via HITC), Newcastle United are interested in signing Arsenal target Moussa Diaby.
The Bayer Leverkusen winger is also on the radar of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, along with the two aforementioned clubs. All four clubs scouted the player during Bayer Leverkusen's UEFA Champions League encounter against Atletico Madrid.
Diaby impressed last season with the German side, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists in 42 matches in all competitions. He also earned his France debut in September 2021 and now has eight caps.
The Magpies are looking to sign the 23-year-old but will have to compete with Arsenal for his signature.
The Gunners were looking to sign a forward in the summer transfer window as well. They were linked with Pedro Neto and Raphinha (via Football.London). However, the former stayed at Wolverhampton Wanderers while the latter moved to Barcelona.
They are now in the race to sign Diaby, who has made 10 appearances so far this season for Bayer Leverkusen, registering one goal and two assists.
Newcastle were expected to have a big summer transfer window after their big-money PIF takeover in October 2021. However, they made just four signings in the form of Alexander Isak, Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Target.
The Magpies are currently 10th in the Premier League table and have won just one of their seven matches so far.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are leading the table after having a great transfer window. They signed Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira and Matt Turner.
Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira picks current Gunners player similar to him
Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira recently heaped praise on Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss midfielder has had major ups and downs at the Emirates since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016. However, he has been a key player this season under Mikel Arteta, contributing one goal and three assists in eight matches.
When asked which current player reminds him the most of himself, Vieira named Xhaka, saying (via Mirror):
"Xhaka at Arsenal, I think he is a team player, I think he is somebody you may not notice, you may not mention a lot but he is doing really hard work for the team."
Xhaka has played 258 matches for the Gunners, scoring 15 goals and providing 25 assists.
The north London side will next be in action in the Premier League on October 1 as they host arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
