Shkodran Mustafi's agent confirms surprise Barcelona talks
Shkodran Mustafi's agent Emre Ozturk has seemingly confirmed reports that Barcelona are targeting the Arsenal defender in the January transfer window.
Barcelona recently lost Gerard Pique, who has been a stalwart in central defence alongside Clement Lenglet this season, through injury.
Recent reports have claimed Barcelona view Mustafi as a cheap option to act as a stand-in for Pique, but they have been snuffed at due to the unlikely nature of the story.
However, it would appear that there is in fact some movement as far as Mustafi's prospective transfer to Barcelona is concerned.
Ozturk has now confirmed the reports, telling SPOX journalist Fabian Zerche that he's indeed in Barcelona because of Mustafi.
“I’m not in Barcelona because of Yusuf Demir, but because of Shkodran Mustafi from Arsenal, whom we also represent,” claimed Ozturk.
Mustafi had fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta in the back-end of last season, and Gabriel Magalhaes' summer arrival from Lille only pushed him further down the pecking order.
The German centre-back has made just two appearances in the Premier League this season, both off the bench. Six Arsenal players have made more league starts in the position, which tells you all you need to know about where he stands in Arteta's plans.
Mustafi's situation at the Emirates Stadium makes his links to Barcelona all the more baffling, but there does look to be some truth to them.
So, how would Mustafi actually fit in at Camp Nou?
Shkodran Mustafi would be a bizarre choice by Barcelona
Clement Lenglet has made 11 starts for Barcelona in La Liga this season, while Gerard Pique has appeared eight times.
Ronald Koeman has also been using young duo Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza, who have both featured from the off five times respectively.
It was suggested in November that Pique was set to miss three to five months of action after damaging his ACL against Atletico Madrid. With that being said, Barcelona's new arrival would most likely be first-choice for the remainder of the season.
Considering the lack of minutes Mustafi has under his belt this season, it'd be bizarre to see Barcelona go for him.
Yes, he'd be a cheap option, but a club of the stature of Barcelona must aim for higher quality than an outcast in a struggling Premier League team.