Alexander Isak is known to be a target of Arsenal as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options following a turbulent season in that department.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the club captaincy and banished from first-team training at the end of 2021 after returning late from a trip to France.
While the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have impressed in his absence, it has undoubtedly left them short of options.
Eddie Nketiah is set to leave on a free transfer in the summer too after rejecting a new deal at the Emirates Stadium, while Alexandre Lacazette looks set to do the same.
Isak has become one of Europe's most coveted striking talents since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Real Sociedad in 2019, scoring 17 goals in 34 La Liga appearances last term.
Still just 22 years old, he fits the profile of player Arteta and Edu are looking to bring to the Emirates Stadium as their overhaul of the squad and culture continues.
The summer saw more than £140million splashed, all on players in their early 20's and, with those recruits contributing to a top-four push, there is no reason why they should change now.
Isak has also previously claimed that he would love to earn a transfer to the Premier League one day too.
"I am in a good place at the moment, I am very happy, but one day it would be nice to play in England as well," Isak recently told the Independent.
"They have six or seven of the biggest clubs in the world, it is a very high level, and of course one day it would be an alternative. Every player wants to be the best version of themselves and reach the highest possible level.
"I have expectations for myself that I’m trying to fulfil, so we’ll see where the journey takes me in future."
And could an Arsenal flop have maybe set him on the path to this interest from across Europe?
Well, between 2017 and 2019, Isak trained with Dortmund and in an interview with AFP in 2017, his former teammate Nuri Sahin revealed how Arsenal reject Sokratis Papastathopoulos' physical performances in training helped take the striker's game to a new level.
"When you have an ox like Sokratis in front of you and challenging for the ball, it's going to hurt. He had to learn that," Sahin said of Isak.
"'Auba' had (injury) problems, so you need to bring a boy like that (Isak) along. We paid a lot of money for him.
"He played well, but as a newcomer he has to get stronger still."
Isak may look back on those training sessions as what helped him become the player he is today - and potentially what makes him the ideal Dusan Vlahovic alternative for the Gunners.
