Arsenal will reportedly begin a second round of talks with Valencia next week as they look to push through a move for defender Shkodran Mustafi.
The Gunners are understood to have already had a £15m bid for their top defensive target rejected by the Spanish outfit, who are holding out for around £20m.
Arsene Wenger is desperate to bring in a new central defender after losing Per Mertesacker for the remainder of the year through injury, while Laurent Koscielny is also out of the season opener with Liverpool following his exertions with France at Euro 2016.
To make matters worse for Arsenal, Gabriel Paulista is struggling for fitness with just a week to go before the new campaign gets up and running, making a successful approach for Mustafi all the more important.
According to The Sun, talks with Valencia director Jesus Garcia Pitarch have been pencilled in for early next week to tie the Germany international down to a long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium.
Mustafi, a Valencia player since his 2014 move from Sampdoria, has been capped 12 times at international level.
Daniel Lewis
