Arsenal Monitoring Former Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Teammate

The transfer rumour mill is in full swing for Arsenal.

Unable to go even nine matches into the league season without being bombarded with speculation, the latest to land on the conveyor belt would see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reunited with a former teammate at Arsenal.

With the January window on the horizon (sort of), the Gunners are being linked with players who would aid their current situation. Convenient, right?

Across Europe there are some elite forwards to keep an eye on, one of whom has been heavily linked with a departure from Barcelona for the past couple of years.

Ousmane Dembele joined from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth in the region of £115m, six months before the Arsenal captain departed for north London. The pair struck up a fine partnership despite spending just the solitary season together, with Sport stating that the Gunners are ‘interested’ in the Frenchman.

Enticement from themselves and Manchester United – as we saw at the end of the summer window – stems from a variety of factors, mainly the 23-year-old’s undoubted ability. As quick as he is technically gifted, Dembele is a livewire down the right wing.

Add to that an apparent discomfort he’s feeling at Camp Nou, due to Ronald Koeman favouring 17-year-old duo Pedri and Ansu Fati in his stead. Now, with just 18 months left on his contract, the situation has become fraught with worry as Dembele isn’t nearing an extension and won’t agree to leave the club yet.

Given the circumstances, Barça may have to drop their asking price significantly and force the forward to move to avoid him leaving for free. The situation could become desperate.

Therefore it’s of little surprise that Arsenal, among others, are intrigued. However, there are so many variables that need to be precise in order for the Gunners to stand any hope of securing the World Cup winner, if indeed he is what they need.

Firstly, his torrid injury record can’t be overlooked. With muscles made out of Play-Doh, how he’d fare in the more aggressive, faster Premier League must be considered. Furthermore, even if he is willing to move to north London and Barça slash their asking price, Dembele still wouldn’t come cheap.

Such finance could be available if players are moved on and Champions League football is secured, yet right-winger is not the top priority. Not with Reiss Nelson coming through.