Arsenal are in pole position to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens at the end of the season, according to Markus Babbel.

The former Liverpool defender claims that the Gunners have a “massive chance” to secure the 20-year-old’s signature ahead of rival English clubs:

“I think there’s a good chance we could see Jamie Gittens playing in the Premier League next season, I don’t think Borussia Dortmund will qualify for the Champions League this season, or even for the Europa League or Conference League. So they will have to sell some players this summer and Gittens is the player they’ll be able to sell for the most money – so a move would make sense for all parties.”

“Given his qualities, he’ll be wanting to play in the Champions League next year which is why Arsenal will have a massive chance of signing him in the summer. He’d be a brilliant addition to Mikel Arteta’s team.”

“Out of the other Premier League clubs linked with Gittens, I’m not sure about Tottenham’s chances of signing him, or even Chelsea’s, as he’ll be wanting to play Champions League football next year, which is why I believe he will leave Dortmund at the end of this season.”

Gittens is not available on the cheap

Reports in the German media claim that Dortmund could hold out for as much as €100m (£83m) to sell the England Under 21 international this summer.

However, as Babbel points out, if the Bundesliga side don’t qualify for European competitions, they will be under pressure to sell players in order to balance the books – meaning Gittens could be offloaded for a considerably lower amount.

Would Arsenal be getting an upgrade on Martinelli?

Some fans will question the need to sign a left winger when recruiting a striker is deemed a more pressing issue. However, Gabriel Martinelli‘s form has been concerning. The Brazilian struggled for goals last season and he hasn’t been much better this campaign, finding the back of the net just 6 times in 22 league games.

Gittens has scored 7 in the same number of matches as Martinelli but, more significantly, he has also scored 4 goals in 10 Champions League appearances. It is up for debate, though, whether he is a genuine upgrade on what Mikel Arteta already has in the squad.

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