Report Claims Arsenal Eyeing Ousmane Dembele Bid Amid Shock Camp Nou Exit Rumours

Barcelona could be about to surprisingly sell Ousmane Dembele - and Arsenal may offer the talented forward a way out of La Liga.

Spanish news publication Don Balon has claimed that La Blaugrana are already considering severing ties with their £135m summer acquisition in a move that will shock the world of football.

Dembele's place is said to be under threat after Philippe Coutinho's arrival for £142m in January, and there are suggestions that the Gunners will attempt to lure the France international to the Premier League as a result.

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New Arsenal signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who played alongside Dembele at Borussia Dortmund, has apparently talked up his former teammate to his new squad members at the Emirates.

And the Gabon international has allegedly urged manager Arsene Wenger to try and poach the 20-year-old from Camp Nou to form a triumvirate of former Dortmund stars along with fellow January addition Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Dembele has struggled with injuries since his big-money switch to Barca last summer but, despite those absences having a great bearing on how many appearances he's made, it seems the Rennes youth product could shockingly be on his way.

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Coutinho's arrival, plus growing speculation of a summer swoop for Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, has led to suggestions that Dembele's time with Barca is over before it's even begun.

To further add to Dembele's misery over the potential failed transfer, Arsenal are only rumoured to be offering around £53m to take him off Barcelona's hands - though the Catalan giants would be mad to take such a heavy hit on someone they fork over tonnes of cash for less than 12 months ago.

If the north Londoners did manage to secure Dembele, it would be a big coup for them given how highly rated the winger is across Europe, and his speed, skill and eye for goal would be another plus in Wenger's attacking lineup.

Right now it's best to take this speculation with a heap of salt, but stranger things have happened in football.