Arsenal make contact to sign £60m striker ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United

Arsenal have renewed their transfer interest in Moussa Dembele and have made contact with the Lyon star’s entourage, according to reports in France.

The Gunners are in danger of losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer with the Gabon international yet to put pen to paper on a new long-term deal and attracting interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Arsenal are putting things in place to replace Aubameyang should he leave and L’Equipe claim the London club have recently reiterated their interest in the striker.

The Londoners were said to be plotting a move for Dembele late last year when there was concerned they might lose Aubameyang to Barcelona mid-way through the season.

Dembele, 23, has been heavily linked with a switch to Chelsea and Manchester United in recent months, but Arsenal are the Premier League club who have most recently been in touch about a transfer.

Arsenal, like United and Chelsea, scouted Dembele several times before coronavirus shut down the 2019/20 season.

Dembele scored 16 goals in Ligue 1 before France banned sporting events until September.

The former Celtic and Fulham forward has proven himself yet again in France and is thought to be open to a move back to England.

Lyon are prepared to cash in on Dembele and in normal circumstances would expect a big fee for the prolific goalscorer, who is valued at around £60million by his club.

However the financial fall-out of the coronavirus pandemic is expected to have a big impact on transfer fees and asking prices.

Arsenal are ready to focus their efforts on signing free agents and agreeing swap deals after suffering financially from the coronavirus pandemic.

But were Aubameyang or his striker partner Alexandre Lacazette, who is wanted by Inter, to leave at the end of the season then the Gunners would have more transfer funds available to them.

Mikel Arteta was planning a busy summer after having his hands tied in the previous window, but it now appears unlikely there will be any big signings at the Emirates for the foreseeable future.

It remains unclear when the next transfer window will open as leagues across Europe work to finish their seasons this summer.

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