Arsenal could bring in Everton’s Ross Barkley if they lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain according to a recent report.

The Everton midfielder is due to leave Everton this summer after informing the club that he wanted a new challenge.

The only way out for Barkley appears to be up, and several of the Premier League’s top six have been linked with him. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have been the most frequently mentioned so far.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal could move for Barkley should they lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Chamberlain has yet to sign a contract extension at Arsenal is attracting interest from Chelsea. The same Daily Mail reports that Chelsea also want Barkley on top of that.

There are a few things that make all this unlikely.

As yet, Arsenal have no intention of selling Chamberlain, especially not to a rival club. Hence the premise that they’ll go for Barkley if Chamberlain leaves doesn’t work.

In the event that Arsenal did lose Chamberlain, Barkley would hardly be a like-for-like replacement. Barkley can only play as an attacking midfielder, while Arsenal have used Chamberlain as a winger, central midfielder and wing-back. It doesn’t make sense to replace a player who can cover multiple positions with a player that can only cover one.

Moreover, Everton’s asking price could be a significant stumbling block.

They don’t seem to be standing in Barkley’s way, but are still reportedly asking for £40m or more for him. That’s a lot for a player out of contract next summer, and for one that’d be far from a starter at Arsenal.

The situation might change the closer we get to the deadline, but this one seems like a non-starter.