Arsenal’s new manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly keen for his club to seal the transfer of Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.
The France international has not had the easiest of times at Barcelona and his future has been up in the air for some time now.
A recent report from El Desmarque also linked Dembele with Chelsea, but now Don Balon claim Arteta wants him as a replacement for the unsettled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal.
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The Independent have reported on Aubameyang being one of the players considering their futures at the Emirates Stadium right now, so it makes sense that a big-name signing could be needed to fill that void.
While Dembele has not been at his best at Barca, he looked one of the most exciting young talents in the world at previous club Borussia Dortmund.
This promoted Barcelona to pay big to bring him to the Nou Camp as Neymar’s replacement in 2017, but he’s never quite looked the right fit for the Catalan giants’ style of play.
That doesn’t mean he couldn’t still fulfil his potential elsewhere, however, and Arsenal might be a good move for him to ensure he plays regularly.
Chelsea might also make sense for him, however, with the Blues surely set to spend big again after their transfer ban finally comes to an end this January.
The west Londoners lost Eden Hazard over the summer so could do with an attacking talent like Dembele in their ranks.
It will be interesting to see where the 22-year-old ends up, but with both AFC and CFC perhaps likely to be in the thick of a battle for a place in the top four come the end of the season, whichever club wins this transfer battle could gain a big advantage.