DEM IS A GEM FOR WENGER
Moussa lined up if Sanchez goes
ARSENE WENGER will turn to Celtic ace Moussa Dembele if Alexis Sanchez quits Arsenal this summer.
The Gunners boss is also weighing up a £45m bid for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
Despite insisting Sanchez would be forced to honour the last year of his contract, Wenger knows that missing out on a £50m transfer fee would be madness. Arsenal are taking a
hardline stance over not letting yet another key player go to title rivals Manchester City, having previously seen Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna head to the Etihad.
But with Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain keen on the Chile star, who scored 30 goals for Arsenal last season, a move abroad might yet be sanctioned.
Dembele is the player Wenger has identified as the one he wants if Sanchez, 28, leaves.
The 20-year-old Frenchman scored 32 goals in 48 appearances for Celtic last season following a move from Fulham.
Boost
Dembele has been valued at around £30m but in the wake of spiralling transfer fees this summer, the Scots are likely to want more for a player who has three years left on his contract.
Arsenal have already spent £52m on Alexandre Lacazette, but Wenger will need more firepower with Olivier Giroud lined up to leave for either Everton or Borussia Dortmund.
The Arsenal chief is also looking to boost his defence and is considering a £45m bid for Dutch international Van Dijk.
Liverpool remain in the hunt to sign the 26-year-old but backed off after Saints made an official complaint about the way they had approached the transfer.
The £45m figure is a massive increase on the £12m the Gunners could have paid for Van Dijk two years ago, when they stepped back and allowed him to go to Southampton.