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Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly interested in the services of Lyon striker Moussa Dembele to bolster their offensive options this summer.
Dembele, who is in the final year of his contract at the Groupama Stadium, has turned heads with his performances last season. Last season, he registered 22 goals and five assists in 36 appearances for the seven-time Ligue 1 winners.
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The 25-year-old, who rose through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain, shot to prominence with his exploits for Fulham in the 2015-16 EFL Championship. Since joining Lyon from Celtic in the summer of 2018, he has featured in 143 games for Les Gones, scoring 67 goals and providing 18 assists in the process.
According to Media Foot (via Football London), Arsenal and United are set to compete with each other for the services of Dembele. The report also adds that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is in search of a striker to add to his squad ahead of the new season.
Earlier, the north London outfit signed striker Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. The Red Devils, meanwhile, are in the pursuit of a forward, as star striker Cristiano Ronaldo's Old Trafford future is in doubt. The Portuguese star, who top-scored with 24 goals for the club last season, expressed his desire to leave earlier this month.
Expectedly, Manchester United aren't looking to sell the star but want to be prepared for any eventualities.
Paul Merson predicts how Arsenal and Manchester United could fare next season
Former Arsenal midfielder and pundit Paul Merson has predicted both his former club and Manchester United to be in the reckoning to finish in the Premier League top four next season.
In his column for Sportskeeda, he wrote:
"Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea pick themselves as the top three in whatever order, and I'd be shocked if anything else were to happen. I'll put Manchester United in the reckoning for a place in the top four because they are a massive club, but they haven't done enough business at this point in time to stand a chance of securing UEFA Champions League football, so it should be between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal."
He added:
"If I had to pick one of the two north London side, I'll have to go with Arsenal. Tottenham's participation in the UEFA Champions League this season could be an issue for them, as they'll have a bunch of tough mid-week games to cater to in between their Premier League commitments."
