Martin Keown says Arsenal will fail to sign Barcelona's Dembele due to Aubameyang

Bengaluru, August 7: Former Arsenal central-defender Martin Keown believes that Arsenal may fail to sign Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele in this summer transfer window as striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is already a marquee signing in the eyes of the fans.

The transfer window shuts this Thursday (August 9) and Arsenal are still trying to rope in Dembele, whose future in Barcelona is in doubt. After signing for a deal reportedly worth €115 million from Borussia Dortmund, the 2018 World Cup winning footballer hasn’t impressed much in the La Liga club, rounding up four goals in 23 appearances. And former England international footballer Keown believes that the Dembele signing is not going to happen with Arsenal this summer.

Ousmane Dembele is now house hunting in London as Arsenal and Barcelona have agreed a club record fee in the region of £120m. Dembele is trying to find a place to live which is near to where Aubameyang and Lacazette live and he's on his way to London as we speak11!👍👍👍👍👋👋👋 pic.twitter.com/2P4T97FMZm

— P🎒 (@RedLacazette) August 5, 2018

He told Starsport, “I don’t know, maybe it’s good for the fans. I don’t see it happening. It seems like it’s an absolute fortune for the player. It doesn’t look likely.

“But maybe the Arsenal fans are hoping for that sort of marquee signing. I think that work was done last year with [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang.”

This January, Aubameyang joined the Premier League club from Borussia Dortmund for the reported £56 million transfer fee. The 29-year-old Gabonese striker has impressed in his short time at Arsenal by scoring 10 goals in 14 appearances.

“Aubameyang is going to be a player that I think could really tear up the Premier League this season so we’ll have to wait and see how that happens. It’s great because in a week’s time, all the talking stops and we’ll see who’s the best,” Keown commented.

Meanwhile, according to an Express report, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that Dembele is not going to leave the club in this transfer window.

Arsenal will kick-off their 2018/19 Premier League season against defending champions Manchester City this Sunday (August 12). And Keown believes Arsenal will be a different team under new manager Unai Emery.

He said, “I think Arsenal will be well prepared because the manager’s had longer to work with his players than everybody else who’s been back to pre-season training. You look at the number of players that still aren’t back properly, Arsenal have had that advantage that the core of the players have been back now for four to five weeks.”