Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ‘wanted’ £135m transfer flop to sign for Arsenal, now he could win the Ballon d’Or

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Arsenal have had some of the best talent in the world, but they have yet to see one of their players win the Ballon d’Or.

The Gunners will argue that club legends such as Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp should’ve won the award, but neither managed it in their prime.

Some Arsenal fans may feel they have players with the potential to do what those stars couldn’t, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and William Saliba in their ranks.

How far they progress is up for anyone to predict, but Mikel Arteta will be keen to get them close to that top standard in world football.

In a strange twist, Arsenal could have landed a star who may well win the Ballon d’Or this year, if reports surrounding some advice from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were true.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wanted Arsenal to sign Ousmane Dembele

Rewind back to 2020, with Arsenal winning the FA Cup under Mikel Arteta, thanks to the impact of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Under the guidance of the relatively new manager, the striker appeared to be the shining light that would help push the team forward.

Plenty of discussion at the time surrounded the need for Aubameyang to sign a new contract extension.

With that in mind, Le10 Sport claimed that the striker wanted to do so, but with the idea of Arsenal signing Ousmane Dembele over the summer transfer window.

The forward had played alongside Aubameyang during their days at Borussia Dortmund, where they were a devastating pair.

Dembele’s move to Barcelona, which was worth up to £135 million, didn’t work out at all as he suffered from injuries on a regular basis.

The potential transfer to Arsenal was seen as an opportunity for Barca to raise cash, while Arsenal could bolster their forward lines.

In the end, the Gunners didn’t seemingly make the move for Dembele, as the opportunity to land him passed them by.

That could be something of a regret now, as he played a key role in PSG knocking Arsenal out of the Champions League last season, and now he is among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or.

It remains to be seen if he will land the award, but the Gunners will still feel they missed out.

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Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang statistics

Over the course of their careers, Dembele and Aubameyang have crossed paths twice.

The first time was at Borussia Dortmund, where they both made names for themselves with their quality forward play and how well they linked up.

The second time came at Barcelona, with Aubameyang leaving Arsenal on a free transfer to join his old teammate once again.

In the end, they played alongside each other 66 times, linking up for 17 goals over those two eras.

It could have been much more had Dembele joined Arsenal, but that is one that got away.