Arsenal Rumors: Gunners Eyeing Messi's Former Rival As Aubameyang 'Replacement'

Arsenal could already be preparing for the possible departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It has been a tough season thus far for Arsenal as the club has failed to seal a single win in its first three English Premier League matches.

Many believe that the poor recruitment strategy in the past transfer window is now taking a toll on the Gunners’ current campaign. Hence, a series of woes are even bound to happen in the future.

It is widely known that Alexandre Lacazette is very likely to depart the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. The same scenario is expected to occur with Eddie Nketiah and Arsenal marksman Aubameyang.

The Gabonese striker is entering the final year of his contract, but as early as now, Arsenal is already linked to a transfer swoop for Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri, Spanish outlet La Colina de Nervion reported.

International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

The report said that the Gunners “see” En-Nesyri as an “ideal replacement” for Aubameyang, keeping tabs on the Sevilla forward’s situation.

However, a move for En-Nesyri will not be as easy as it sounds as Sevilla’s sporting director Mochi, per the report, is “not listening to any offer” from other clubs.

En-Nesyri, on the other hand, has already “refused” to link up with his suitors this summer and has remained “in love with the club and the city.”

However, “the truth” is that Sevilla is well aware that selling En-Nesyri will allow the club to fund future transfers, the report added.

The Moroccan has yet to address the issue, but his earlier comments about a possible move away from Sevilla speak highly of his stance.

"Nothing has changed, all this comes with work and concentration,” En-Nesyri said earlier this year. “Now we are going for more, for now, I am staying at Sevilla, no I'm going nowhere, I want to finish the year here, it's a great club and I want to be here."

Aside from Arsenal, En-Nesyri’s fine form was also noticed by West Ham United. However, his agent and friend, Anass Ouzifi, bared that the player is “very happy” and “very grateful” to Sevilla.

“[West Ham] asked me about what was Youssef’s situation,” Ouzifi recalled. “I told them ‘Youssef didn’t want to leave Sevilla’.”

“I explained the situation well to them. Youssef [En-Nesyri]is very happy in Sevilla, very grateful to the club and his teammates. Not everything is about money in life.”

En-Nesyri finished the previous season with an impressive tally of 24 goals in 52 matches across all competitions.

He also generated quite a buzz early in the season by once topping Lionel Messi in La Liga’s top goalscorer’s list.