Mikel Arteta planning shock move to re-sign 'manipulated' Arsenal star who was sold for pennies

Mikel Arteta is pushing Arsenal to re-sign a former player the club sold in a cut-price deal several years ago.

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and into the Champions League semi-finals but have arguably underperformed in attack this season.

Viktor Gyokeres is the only player who has managed to hit double digits in the league following his £63million transfer from Sporting CP, while fellow summer recruits Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have only managed seven and two goals respectively.

Bukayo Saka's drop-off in form and Kai Havertz's injury issues have resulted in several toothless performances from Arsenal in the business end of the campaign.

Further attacking reinforcements are expected in the summer as rumours continue to swirl around Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard's futures.

And according to Sports Boom, the man Arteta has in mind to transform Arsenal's faltering attack is Bayern Munich superstar Serge Gnabry.

The 30-year-old was a regular under Bayern manager Vincent Kompany this term until a thigh injury curtailed his season and cruelly ruled him out of the World Cup.

Gnabry notched eight goals and registered four assists in 21 appearances as Bayern romped to the Bundesliga once again. He recently signed a new contract worth around £265,000-per-week, but Bayern's interest in Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon means they'll likely have to sanction a big departure in the coming months.

A return to Arsenal could interest Gnabry, who former team-mate Arteta sees as 'one who got away' during a turbulent time for the North London outfit.

Gnabry departed Arsenal for Werder Bremen in 2016 for £5million, and within a year, he'd transferred to Bayern.

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Arsene Wenger claims Gnabry was 'manipulated' into leaving

While the opportunity to move to Bayern Munich is something every player would consider, ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes something far more insidious went on.

He suggested in a 2019 interview that Bayern had a role in his Werder Bremen transfer three years prior, despite Arsenal offering him a new deal.

"We tried to extend his contract for a very long time and I think that Bayern manipulated behind the scenes, that if he went to Bremen, he would join Bayern after," Wenger explained to beIN SPORTS.

"He was always a very talented boy who lacked confidence in some stages, but we always thought we had a player who could achieve a lot.

"He came back from a very bad experience [on loan] at West Brom, where his confidence was destroyed. I tried to rebuild him because I believed in him."