Moussa Dembele Reportedly Wanted by Arsenal as Alexis Sanchez Replacement

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly identified Celtic forward Moussa Dembele as a possible replacement for Alexis Sanchez if the Chilean leaves this summer.

According to Graham Read of the Daily Express, while Wenger and Arsenal are hopeful Sanchez will stay, he could yet be allowed to leave if a foreign club comes in at the right price, namely £50 million.

Dembele is Wenger's choice to replace him if that happens. The 21-year-old "has been valued around £30 million," but the inflated prices paid for many players this summer could see Celtic increase his price tag.

Read also reported Olivier Giroud could be set to depart this summer to Everton or Borussia Dortmund, meaning Dembele would more likely be a replacement for him rather than Sanchez.

Following Alexandre Lacazette's £52 million capture, Sanchez will almost certainly revert to his natural position on the wing if he stays at the Emirates Stadium. So if he were to leave, he would need to be replaced by a wide player, as opposed to the centre-forward needed to take Giroud's place should the Frenchman depart.

Dembele joined Celtic from Fulham last year and enjoyed an outstanding first season in Scotland, per Squawka Football:

He shares some of Lacazette's strengths thanks to his electric pace and ruthless finishing in the penalty area, but he's not a carbon copy of his compatriot, and so he would make sense as an option for the centre-forward role who could offer something different.

Dembele is taller and, coupled with his athletic leap, can be a real threat in the air—even if he isn't quite as big and imposing as Giroud. His physicality also allows him to hold the ball up for his team-mates.

Former Celtic striker Scott McDonald likened him to Romelu Lukaku, per BBC Sportsound:

Dembele has potential in abundance and would make for a superb capture, but he wouldn't be a natural fit to replace Sanchez unless Wenger is planning on playing with two strikers next season—or believes he can be moved wider or further back.

He'd arguably be too expensive to justify being the back-up to Lacazette in the event of Giroud leaving, but as a player who offers something of a meeting point between the two forwards, he would have a lot to offer.