Arsenal and Chelsea to battle for Bundesliga star - Reports

Arsenal, Chelsea, and a host of other Premier League clubs are reportedly monitoring the progress of Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby.

Diaby has three years left on his current deal at the BayArena. He has established himself as a regular starter for the Bundesliga outfit over the past three seasons. He has played 133 matches for the club, contributing 36 goals and 39 assists.

He joined Leverkusen from Paris Saint-Germain for €15 million in the summer of 2019. The 23-year-old has turned a lot of heads with his electric performances in the final third.

A pacy attacker adept at operating on both the right and left flanks, Diaby shot to fame in the 2021-22 campaign. He scored 17 goals and contributed 14 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, helping Bayer Leverkusen finish third in the Bundesliga standings.

According to 90min, Arsenal and Chelsea sent their representatives to attend Bayer Leverkusen's 2-0 home win over Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on September 13. They were there to scout the Frenchman as he scored the second goal of the contest in the 87th minute.

Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also have a long-standing interest in Diaby, as per the report. Scouts from all three clubs were also in attendance at the BayArena on September 14.

However, Diaby has opened his 2022-23 season on an underwhelming note. He has registered just one goal and two assists in nine matches this campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen are currently 17th in the Bundesliga standings with just four points from six games.

The German side will next lock horns with Werder Bremen at home in a Bundesliga contest on Saturday (September 17).

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Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus was keen to sign for Chelsea this summer

As per The Athletic, Gabriel Jesus was strongly interested in signing for Chelsea before arriving at the Emirates Stadium. The new Blues ownership advocated a move for the Brazilian but former boss Thomas Tuchel decided against signing a striker at the time.

However, Tuchel did change his stance a few days later. He was left frustrated that Todd Boehly and other co-owners didn't go all out to acquire Jesus' services.

Arsenal, on the other hand, signed the player from Manchester City for £45 million at the start of July this year.

Since his arrival in north London, Jesus has been a revelation for Mikel Arteta's side. He has netted three times and contributed as many assists in six Premier League matches so far this season.