Arsenal have opened talks with Valencia to discuss a deal for defender Cristhian Mosquera.The North London side are stepping up their efforts to bring in additions after agreeing a deal to sign Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard on Wednesday. Next in the club’s sights is Mosquera, as Mikel Arteta looks to reinforce his defensive options.The Spain u-21 international is a highly-rated talent and formed part of the side that won Olympic gold in 2024. Cristhian Mosquera vs Top 5 League U20 Players◎ Shots blocked – 1st◎ Possessions won minus lost – 1st◎ Defensive duels won % – 2nd◎ Possessions won – 2nd◎ Passes completed – 2nd◎ Forward passes completed – 2nd◎ Defensive duels won – 3rd◎ Interceptions – 3rd… pic.twitter.com/uJ0yWKpqYh— DataMB (@DataMB_) June 22, 2025Why do Arsenal want to sign Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera?Last season, Mosquera impressed despite a difficult season for Valencia. After battling relegation for much of the campaign, the defender was a key part of the club’s climb to mid-table safety. He ranked 10th in La Liga for touches and fourth for percentage of dribblers tackled.Comfortable at centre-back or right-back, he made 37 appearances in La Liga last season and has impressed with his ball-playing abilities.Mosquera has entered the final 12 months of his contract and Arsenal are hopeful of signing the Spaniard in a cut-price deal. However, there is significant competition for Mosquera. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Arsenal want to bring in another centre-back to ease the reliance on William Saliba. Gabriel Maghalaes, Riccardo Calafiori and Jakub Kiwior are all left-sided central defenders, while Jurrien Timber and Ben White have been preferred at full-back. Takehiro Tomiyasu remains sidelined with a long-term issue.Read – Lewis-Skelly eyes Arsenal ‘legacy’ after signing new contractSee more – Five Bundesliga players Premier League clubs should be interested in this summerFollow The Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Arsenal open talks to sign Valencia centre-back first appeared on The Football Faithful.