Paris Saint-Germain's plans to reshape their attack this summer have offered Arsenal encouragement in their own attempts to strengthen their forward line. The Gunners have made no secret of their desire to build on last season's landmark Premier League title-winning campaign and add more firepower to a squad that relied heavily on its defensive strengths.
With the futures of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus uncertain, there are likely to be spaces up for grabs in Mikel Arteta's squad come the start of the new season. A left-sided winger is seen as the priority, with Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers a prime candidate.
Arsenal Monitoring Barcola Situation
Arsenal are also monitoring Bradley Barcola's situation at PSG who, according to reports, would prefer to keep the 23-year-old, but that stance would likely change were they to sign their own top attacking targets. The back-to-back Champions League winners themselves retain interest in Rogers and another striker on Arsenal's radar, Julian Alvarez.
Barcola has played a key role in PSG's success over the course of Luis Enrique's reign but has fallen slightly down the pecking order in recent months given the strength of a star-studded forward line that also includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
World Cup Cameo Enhances Reputation
The 23-year-old was restricted to the role of super-sub for his country on Tuesday night as well, and enhanced his reputation with a lively cameo in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. Coming off the bench to replace his club teammate Dembele, Barcola doubled his side's lead with a clever, dinked finish just two minutes after he had entered the fray.
PSG signed Barcola from Ligue 1 rivals Lyon for a €45 million fee three years ago. The versatile forward is under contract until 2028 and he had hoped to begin talks over an extension earlier this year. Negotiations, however, were not forthcoming and were put on hold with PSG's focus on retaining the Champions League.
Nearly a month on from that triumph and Barcola is reportedly still waiting for any movement and will have to wait until after the World Cup if progress is to be made.
