Arsenal could be set to renew their interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt, according to reports.
The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Germany international in the past, most recently in January.
Instead, Mikel Arteta’s side completed the loan signing of Martin Odegaard in the mid-season transfer window.
Arsenal are said to be keen to sign the Norwegian playmaker on a permanent deal, but club officials believe it will be difficult to prise him away from Real Madrid.
As such, Arsenal have begun to sound out potential alternatives, and Bild reports that Brandt is among the players they admire.
“Odegaard is playing quite well, and they would probably like to keep him,” journalist Christian Falk told the German publication.
“But he is definitely too expensive, so they will bring out the old plans from January.
“We have already talked about Julian Brandt from Dortmund and that he is a player that Arsenal would like.
“He will only cost €25m [£21.8m], but of course, it’s a matter of negotiation.”
Having seen their finances take a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, Arsenal will no doubt be attracted by Dortmund’s relatively low asking price.
The 24-year-old is under contract at Signal Iduna Park until 2024 but is widely expected to move on this summer.
Brandt has only started 16 games in the Bundesliga this term and is rumoured to be seeking a transfer.
Despite the impact of the pandemic, Arsenal director Josh Kroenke has hinted to fans that the club’s American owners intend to invest in the squad this summer.
“We're always willing to provide resources for Arsenal Football Club, as we have supported the club the last several years,” Kroenke told a fans forum.
“I think the question you're asking also resides in a much larger question about football. If you're always going to be recruiting the next person to pump tens and hundreds of millions into a club that is not a sustainable operation across Europe anywhere.
“For us, I think we're not afraid to be aggressive at different points in time. Hopefully you've noticed over the last few transfer windows we have been more aggressive.
“That was part of the discussion we had internally amongst the six clubs in the UK and in Europe. The model that is currently out there is not sustainable over the long-term, and that should very much worry supporters.
“While the answer to your question 'who is the next wealthy person who can come in and just funnel money into the club' and I don't think that's the right answer for Arsenal Football Club or football as a whole.”
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