Arsenal fans should be all too familiar with a triple transfer merry-go-round and another may be required for their Serge Gnabry return wish to be granted this summer.
Cast your minds back to the 2018 January transfer window when the Gunners were able to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but only due to working in unison with London rivals Chelsea and Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund to get a total of three deals over the line on deadline day.
After Arsenal had got the ball rolling, Dortmund brought in Michy Batshuayi on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 season and needing a replacement for the Belgian, the Blues swooped for Olivier Giroud who had slipped down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium following the arrival of Aubameyang.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal starting XI if Serge Gnabry completes transfer from Bayern Munich
Fast forward four-and-a-half years and the Gunners might need an identical situation, but this time with a different set of players and clubs in order to sign Gnabry who according to German outlet Kicker, via iMiaSanMia, is yet to accept Bayern Munich's latest contract offer.
Furthermore, the report states that the Germany international has been given a contract ultimatum, and if his response is no to committing his future to the club, then he will be sold this summer given he has just one year left on his deal and SportBILD claim he will be available for €40million (£34million).
Should Gnabry leave the reigning Bundesliga champions, it would appear his replacement has already been decided with French outlet L'Equipe reporting before the Champions League final that Bayern were close to agreeing a €30million (£25million) deal for Liverpool's Sadio Mane.
When factoring in the report from The Athletic that the Senegal international has made the decision to leave the Reds this summer, his arrival could push Gnabry even closer to the exit door at the Allianz Arena and that might be fantastic news for Arsenal overall.
However, if the Gunners are serious about bringing the forward back to north London, they'll most likely need to offload a winger first. Luckily, as reported by football.london, Nicolas Pepe wants to leave having instructed his agent to find him a new club and Arsenal are said to be willing to accept a £25m fee for his services amid talk of a return to France with Paris Saint-Germain linked.
So it would appear that Arsenal's hopes of signing Gnabry might hinge on Inter bringing in Mane from Liverpool as a replacement and then selling Pepe to PSG in order to free up space in Mikel Arteta's first-team squad. Whether a repeat of January 2018 is on the cards remains to be seen, but this potential triple transfer merry-go-round could be one to keep an eye on.
