Aston Villa willing to double Real Madrid star's salary to £7 million-per-season to sign him ahead of Arsenal: Reports 

Aston Villa are reportedly prepared to double Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio's current salary to beat Arsenal in the transfer race in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Asensio, 27, has been a hot topic of speculation since the turn of the year as he is in the final two months of his contract at Real Madrid. He has popped up on Arsenal's shopping list as Mikel Arteta is said to be a big admirer of the Spanish attacker.

However, according to MARCA, Aston Villa are keen to beat Arsenal to the signing of Asensio by offering him a lucrative contract. They are willing to hand a salary of around £7 million-per-season to the Real Madrid player.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is reportedly set to be handed four summer signings and he is interested in making Asensio the star of his project. Soon-to-be-named sporting director Mateu Alemany is set to be involved in the negotiations, as per reports.

Asensio, who joined Los Blancos from RCD Mallorca for around £3 million in 2015, has been reduced to a squad role of late. He has started 16 of his 46 appearances this season, registering 11 goals and eight assists in the process.

Should Asensio reject a Bosman move to Villa and join the Gunners, he would be a solid rotational option for Bukayo Saka on the right flank. He could also assume his team's creative responsibility in an advanced playmaker role.

Overall, the left-footed technician has scored 60 goals and provided 32 assists in 281 games for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid earmark Arsenal target as backup for Vinicius Jr: Reports

According to Fichajes, Real Madrid are keen to bolster their offensive depth ahead of next campaign. They are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, who is considered to be a perfect backup to Vinicius Jr.

However, Los Blancos are unlikely to be unopposed in their pursuit of the nine-cap France international. The La Liga club are reportedly set to face competition from Manchester United, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Diaby's signature.

Diaby, 23, has established himself as a regular starter at Leverkusen since arriving from PSG for a fee in the region of £13 million in 2019. He has been in stellar form this season, registering 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances.

According to Transfermarkt, Diaby is currently valued at £44 million. The Arsenal-linked attacker's stock could witness a rise depending on his club's progress in the Bundesliga and in the UEFA Europa League this campaign.