Arsenal will have to pay “in excess of £35m” if they want to snap up RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan before the transfer deadline, according to The Guardian.

The Gunners are reeling from the news that Jurrien Timber could be sidelined for up to seven months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and there has already been some speculation that a replacement could be brought in.

Simakan was on the club’s radar earlier in the summer and, the fact that he can play both as a right-back and centre-half (like Timber) makes him a logical target.

However, the cost of the transfer may prove to be problematic, with the club now facing difficulties in terms of staying within Financial Fairplay rules.

A sale could open up the door to sign Simakan

Kieran Tierney’s future at the Emirates remains up in the air. At a pre-match press conference on Thursday morning, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that the Scottish international is still in his plans.

However, the fact that Tierney was omitted from the matchday squad for the game against Nottingham Forest last weekend does suggest otherwise. If they can raise £30m+ from the left-back’s sale, that could be directly reinvested in Simakan.

Are Arsenal considering other options?

With there being no guarantee that Tierney will be sold this summer, the Gunners may have to look at cheaper alternatives. The likes of Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and Leicester City’s Timothy Castagne have been suggested as possible targets.

They would jump at the chance of moving to Arsenal, with both players currently playing in the Championship, and their clubs are unlikely to stand in their way if an approach is made for them.

However, you would think that Mikel Arteta’s side will explore every avenue to bring in Simakan first if they can find a way to make it happen.