Reports: Unai Emery orders Arsenal to make last-minute move for Barcelona star
What's the rumour?
Arsenal have been fairly active in the ongoing Premier League transfer window and have already signed as many as 5 new players - Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Mattéo Guendouzi, and Stephan Lichtsteiner.
However, latest reports from Metro claim that new manager Unai Emery isn't entirely satisfied just yet, and has reportedly instructed the club to make a last-ditch move believed to be worth £89 million for Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele.
In case you didn't know...
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona less than a year ago in the wake of Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain, for a reported fee of €105 million. A hamstring injury soon hampered his season and ruled him out for 4 whole months, preventing him from truly proving his worth and establishing a permanent place for himself in Barcelona's starting 11.
Last week, Dembele was spotted partying in London with a number of Arsenal players, setting the rumour mills abuzz regarding a potential transfer.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal and Emery are reportedly still in the hunt Dembele, despite the fact that he returned to training with Barcelona a week earlier than scheduled.
Unai Emery is believed to be extremely keen on recruiting Dembele and Malcom's arrival and the subsequent competition at Barcelona, coupled with Ernesto Valverde's lack of trust in the Frenchman might just allegedly convince Dembele to make the switch.
The Gunners have allegedly exhausted a majority of their transfer budget this summer, and are reportedly proposing a £8.9m loan deal with a clause to make it permanent next summer for a fee of £80.3m.
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Ousmane Dembele is undoubtedly a quality player!
Rumour Probability/Rating: 4/10
With just a couple of days left before the Premier League transfer deadline, it seems unlikely that a deal this significant can be pushed through in time. Further, having signed him just last season, it would make no sense for Barcelona to let him go - at a price lower than what he cost them in the first place. Hence, readers are advised to take this rumour with a generous pinch of salt.
What's next?
The rumour claims that Barcelona might be willing to sell Dembele to arrange for funds to help their pursuit of Manchester United's Paul Pogba. However, United's unwillingness to sell Pogba could prevent Barcelona offloading Dembele.
As such, the 21-year-old will be expected to play for Barcelona next season.