Arsenal supporters are daring to dream that Serge Gnabry could be lured back to Emirates Stadium, with Gunners fans bombarding the Germany international with “come back” pleas after seeing him wear retro jerseys in a social media post.
The 26-year-old forward started his professional career in north London, but was forced to spread his wings in order to unlock full potential and become a superstar performer in European football.
He took in just 18 appearances for Arsenal, scoring one goal, but ended up at Bayern Munich following a productive stint at Werder Bremen and could soon be back on the market.
Why are Arsenal fans getting excited?
Gnabry has posted a number of images on Instagram in which he has been wearing throwback shirts from teams he has represented – including Arsenal, Germany and Bayern.
Gunners supporters are hoping that Gnabry’s online activity could be a nod towards a return to north London being made at some stage, with the talented winger being inundated with calls for him to retrace those steps.
Could Gnabry head back to Arsenal?
A return to Emirates Stadium may not be beyond the realms of possibility for Gnabry, with there plenty of reports to be found regarding a potential transfer in upcoming windows.
He is currently under contract at Bayern through to 2023, but no extension to that deal has been agreed as yet despite efforts being made by those at the Allianz Arena to get him tied down.
It could be that the Bundesliga champions are forced to cash in this summer, with it possible that Arsenal will join the running if a scramble for a Champions League-winning star is sparked.
Bayern are not about to give up on discussions regarding fresh terms, but Gnabry has spoken in the past about how his time in England made him the player he is today.
He told the Evening Standard in 2016: “Without being in England, I would not be the player I am now. There was Arsenal’s quick playing style, for example, which I learned.
“When you are a young player and you get to train with such top players as there are at Arsenal for three years then of course you take something away with you and it improves you.
“That was definitely the case with me. I probably would not be here now [at Bayern Munich] if I had not been in England.”
Arsenal already have plenty of creative talent on their books – including the likes of Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka – but they are seeing Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah head towards free agency and are expected to seek out attacking reinforcements in the next window.