Arsenal Transfer Update: Kylian Mbappe's Ligue 1 Rival Names His Price

Arsenal has been given a clue about how much the club will have to spend on Reims striker Boulaye Dia if they want his signature.

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is still the best goal scorer in Ligue 1. However, the fine form of his French top-flight rival, Dia, has had an array of English Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, interested.

The Gunners have been tailing Dia since December, but a move to Emirates Stadium did not come to fruition over the January transfer window. With his name still linked to Mikel Arteta’s side, Dia dropped a huge hint at the current value Reims has put on him in the transfer market.

“I’m not the one who sets the price,” Dia recently explained to France Football. “I hear the price is fixed in relation to performance. This summer it was between £10 million ($13.8 million) and £15 million ($20.7 million). That must be it.”

Apart from Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham are also believed to be pursuing Dia. For the striker, it’s “always flattering” to be linked to big-name clubs, but at the moment, he has to give his best to his current club.

“It’s a new source of motivation (to be linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs),” the 24-year-old revealed. “It’s always flattering – but you have to stay focused. You hear too many things. Your name is everywhere.”

Reims head coach David Guion also addressed Dia’s situation earlier this month. The manager is pleased to have the prolific striker in his team and hopes to “keep” him for the rest of the season.

“When you see the way Boulaye [Dia] behaves now and how he acts within the group, he is happy and has fun on the field. He is efficient and really gives good signals,” Guion told Telefoot.

“We feel (that we have) a boy really invested in the Stade de Reims project,” he added. “I’m really happy to keep him until the end of the season.”

Dia has gone a little cold in Reims’ last five Ligue 1 outings. He hasn’t scored a single goal since the 3-1 victory over St-Etienne earlier in January. However, the Oyonnax native is still just a few goals behind Mbappe.

To date, the PSG talisman already has 16 goals in 20 matches to his name, making him the league’s top goal scorer this season. Dia, on the other hand, has remained within striking distance at the fourth spot with 12 goals in 22 games.