Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be the key to luring Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele to North London.
The Gunners have reportedly been in contact with the Spanish giants about the possibility of signing the World Cup winner.
However, they believe in-form Aubameyang's close friendship with Dembele puts them in a strong position to fend off competitors, including Premier League rivals Liverpool, for his signature.
The pair played together for a year at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and formed a formidable friendship and partnership on the field.
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The duo often appear on each other's social media platforms and Dembele was seen alongside Aubameyang and a number of other Gunners players in London in the summer.
Dembele joined Barcelona from Dortmund for approximately ยฃ97million, however, he has failed to nail down a permanent place in the squad.
The 21-year-old has reportedly failed to settle in at Barca, and he is understood to have annoyed senior members of the squad and staff with his unprofessional attitude.
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And, according to Spanish paper AS, he missed training earlier this month due to an all-night gaming binge with his friends.
Earlier this week Barca star Luis Suarez, who reportedly met with the club's management to ask them to stop playing the Frenchman, urged Dembele to focus on his football, he said: "It's not that he did not adapt because the relationship with his team-mates is very good. We see him being happy.
"But as some of my team-mates have said, and Ousmane knows, football is a privilege for every player, and I think he needs to focus more, and be more serious on some points.
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"There are many people around him in Barcelona who he can draw inspiration from, people with great professionalism. But he deserves to be there and triumph with Barcelona.
Arsenal are 12/1 to sign Dembele in the upcoming transfer window, however, his agent, Moussa Sissoko, has ruled out a move away from the Nou Camp.
"There is no doubt about his future, at all, Ousmane continues to work, he is in a big club and Ernesto Valverde loves him," Sissoko said.
"He is also in the international team and Deschamps continues to trust him."
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