Arsenal are reportedly exploring a summer move for unsettled Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele.
After their triumph in the Champions League last season, following a painstaking wait for the trophy, form in the French capital has dipped.
Most recently, they lost 3-1 to Europe-chasing Rennes and have slipped to second in the league behind Lens, an alien position for the club who have won eight of the last nine Ligue 1 titles.
Mikel Arteta to profit from PSG misfortune
Dembele, who lifted the Ballon d’Or last year, has suffered injury setbacks in the season after his best campaign on record.
Now back to fitness, CANAL+ have reported that he is unhappy with the speed at which he’s being introduced back into the side by Luis Enrique, who appears to be trying to ease him back in.
That friction, according to Fichajes, has piqued the interest of Arsenal, who seem keen to leverage that discontent to boost the talent profile of their attack.
The Spanish outlet states that Arteta, who made 53 appearances for PSG as a loanee in his playing days, is keen to add unpredictability and individual flair to his squad, something Dembele is certainly capable of doing.
Dembele’s current terms run until 2028, however, meaning that a significant transfer fee would be required to tempt PSG into a sale, albeit their pivot to youth in recent years may make a high-value sale of a 28-year-old appealing.
The Gunners are said to understand that it would be a complex negotiation, but it would certainly be a statement of intent.
Dembele has played on both flanks and through the middle with regularity throughout his career, so would be a flexible, top-grade attacking option for Arteta.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, if Arsenal feel there is a deal to be done for Dembele at a price they can afford, they should do it.
But it’s a move that will raise plenty of questions for current members of the squad, not least recent purchases Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, who may see their minutes limited by a new attacker of Dembele’s stature joining the club.
There is no obvious vacancy for Dembele to fill, it may simply just be a case of the Gunners feeling he is a better option than they currently have.
If that’s the case, any move to bring in the Frenchman may be joined with a high-profile sale.
