Arsenal in active talks to sign 20-year-old defender from La Liga club: Reports

Arsenal are reportedly in talks to snap up Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera. The 20-year-old made his first-team debut for the La Liga side in the 2020-21 season after coming up through the ranks.

In the 2024-25 campaign, Mosquera played 41 times across competitions, scoring once, with the lone strike coming in 37 outings in La Liga, where Los Che finished 12th.

Mosquera is contracted to the Mestalla till 2026 but has attracted interest from the Gunners, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Mikel Arteta's side have apparently zeroed in on the Spaniard as their primary target to shore up the heart of defence, which was the meanest (34 goals conceded) in the Premier League last season.

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Nevertheless, the Gunners finished second in the league for the third straight season, finishing 10 points behind Liverpool. Arteta's side had come up second-best in the title race in the previous two campaigns to Manchester City, who finished third in 2024-25.

What Mikel Arteta said after Arsenal endured another trophyless season

Although Arsenal enjoyed a decent campaign, it ended without silverware yet again. As mentioned above, they registered a third straight second-placed Premier League finish and also fared well in Europe.

The Gunners eliminated holders Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals to reach the competition's last-four for the first time since 2009. However, their run ended with a 3-1 aggregate defeat to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain, losing 1-0 at home and 2-1 away.

Having not won a trophy since the 2019-20 FA Cup, the Gunners boss said (as per BBC) ahead of the last game of the Premier League season:

"Liverpool have a trophy - we don't have a trophy. We are unsatisfied and upset. But I think we are on the right trajectory.

"What I can promise is that I will do my very best (to win a trophy), and I will give my life, and get every drop of everybody here to squeeze it and get the best out of them."

The Spaniard added:

"We had a dream, it was to be here or in a week's time and bring the big trophies to you guys, and we couldn't do it for many circumstances. We need to make sure that chasing a dream doesn't get blurry and make sure we chase the dream with positivity and enthusiasm for next season."

The Gunners are yet to win the Premier League since their memorable 'Invincibles' triumph under the legendary Arsene Wenger in 2003-04.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav