Arsenal Boss Unai Emery Tells Gunners to Launch Bid for Barcelona Star Before Transfer Deadline

Reports in Spain suggest Arsenal could be set to conclude their summer transfer business with an audacious £89m swoop for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele after manager Unai Emery convinced the club to sign the 21-year-old.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Emery is a huge fan of the French attacker and believes the Gunners can lure him to England, despite Dembele recently returning to training with the intention of winning his place in the Barcelona side.

Dembele only joined the Catalan side last summer from German outfit Borussia Dortmund in a €105m deal but struggled for form during an injury-hit campaign last season and has been linked with a move to Arsenal for the majority of the summer.

Though Arsenal have spent the majority of their transfer budget this summer, the club will circumvent this issue by offering Barcelona an initial £8.9m loan fee, with a mandatory clause to make the deal permanent next year for £80.3m.

Rumours linking the forward with a move to the Emirates hit fever pitch recently when Dembele was pictured alongside Arsenal stars Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alexandre Lacazette and new signing Matteo Guendouzi.

While there is still the possibility that Dembele could opt to stay at Barcelona this summer, he will be discouraged by manager Ernesto Valverde's alleged lack of trust in him and the signing of winger Malcom from Bordeaux.

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Barcelona could be tempted to cash in on Dembele, with the club needing to bring in enough money to launch their alleged bid for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.