Ousmane Dembele to Arsenal: ‘Unease’ at PSG opens door to dream move

Robin Bairner

• 21 Dec 2025 10:01 CST
• 4 min read

Analysis

Arsenal’s search for an attacking reinforcement may be about to take a twist with the news that Ousmane Dembele is growing unsettled at PSG.

The Ballon d’Or winner has become frustrated with the club’s recent management of him and, according to reports in France, there is an increasing sense of “unease” building around the 28-year-old attacker.

With Mikel Arteta’s side looking to recruit either a left-sided forward or a No.9, Dembele is a player who should be studied in North London due to his ability to play both roles.

Current ETV

Ousmane Dembélé 

F (CR)

PSG

Ousmane Dembélé 

F (CR)

PSG

€96.8M

ETV Range

€87.1M - €106.5M

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Once there might have been doubts over the reliability of the former Barcelona player, but coming off a 2024/25 campaign in which he won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA’s The Best prize as PSG swept all before them, these have dissipated.

Dembele flourished as he came out of the shadow of Kylian Mbappe, who departed for Real Madrid, heading up Luis Enrique’s well-oiled side as they picked up a first Champions League title with a record-breaking 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the final.

But the current campaign has not gone to plan.

What’s gone wrong with Ousmane Dembele?

Dembele has suffered from two significant muscle injuries this season that have restricted his ability to play and to get up to the kind of match sharpness that allowed him to excel six months ago.

Where the dispute between the player and the club arises, according to Canal+, is his use now that he is back up to playing capacity.

Dembele feels he is ready to start matches but PSG head coach Luis Enrique has adopted a cautious approach, giving him only 15 minutes in the Intercontinental Cup clash against Flamengo. He is unhappy with his playing time.

Arsenal are a perfect fit for Dembele

Arsenal come into the equation because of the areas that Arteta is looking to strengthen. He wants both a winger and an attack. Dembele could fill both roles, and given the Spaniard’s love for tactically flexible players, he would appear an excellent fit for the Gunners.

This is played out in the analysis of SciSports, whose Career Advice tool suggests a switch to the Emirates Stadium would be the optimum move for Dembele if he were to decide to push for a move away from PSG to the Premier League.

Arsenal’s Club Fit score of 83 – calculated using an algorithm that gives clubs a ranking based on various factors from development and playing time to style and formation – is very strong.

Indeed, the assessment of SciSports is that Dembele would be almost as strong at Arsenal as he has been at PSG.

Dembele to Arsenal: Is it possible?

While there is no prospect of a January deal, it’s a situation that is worth keeping an eye on before the summer.

PSG are unlikely to welcome any disruption to Luis Enrique’s team-focused approach, but Dembele’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €96.8 million indicates how tough a job Arsenal will have of taking him to London from Paris.

Under contract until 2028, the European champions are in a strong negotiating position over Dembele.