Arsenal's Head of Recruitment Reportedly in Regular Contact with Barcelona Forward Ousmane Dembele
According to reports in France, Sven Mislintat, Arsenal's head of recruitment is still in regular contact with Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.
Mislintat is credited for bringing in the young French talent to Borussia Dortmund back in 2016 from Rennes. And even though Dembele only spent one year at Borussia Dortmund, L’Equipe (via Metro) states that the pair have a 'real closeness and continued contact', which could be good news for Arsenal fans.
Bought last summer summer for €105m plus €40m in add-ons Dembele, didn't have the dream start to his Barcelona career after suffering a hamstring injury on his first start for the club, which ruled him out for four months.
On his return to first team action, the French forward only contributed four goals in all competitions for the Catalan giants, and never really got any momentum in his first full season at the Nou Camp.
Asked about his future last month, Dembele told Telefoot: "I signed a five-year contract at Barcelona. I’m going to be in Barcelona a very long time. I’m not going to leave after a season.
"I’m not in my best form, but little by little, it’s coming back. I still have to work on my cardio because I get tired very quickly. At Barcelona, I have a better lifestyle. At Dortmund, I didn’t have a great lifestyle and I didn’t get injured, so it’s not that."
It seems Dembele is set to stay at Barcelona for the foreseeable future, and a move to north London unlikely.
But with reports suggesting Barcelona might loan the young talent out this summer so he can get some much needed game time, Mislintat's relationship with the forward might once again come into play.