Arsenal and Liverpool have made contact with Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais over 22-year-old striker Moussa Dembele, according to reports in France.

L’Equipe (via Daily Record) report that Liverpool and Arsenal have both stepped up their interest in the French striker by making contact with Lyon over a summer move. However, Lyon want to keep the player, insisting he won’t be sold in the current window.

Speaking on the Transfer Window podcast, Duncan Castles also confirmed that Arsenal and Liverpool hold an interest in Moussa Dembele, but he added that Manchester United and Chelsea do as well.

Dembele only signed for Lyon last summer and he’s had a positive first season in France. The striker scored 20 goals and assisted six in 46 appearances for his debut campaign, a goal or assist every 109 minutes on average.

It does seem unlikely that Lyon would sell on again so soon, and certainly not for any less than the £20m they paid for him.

Given Arsenal’s restricted transfer budget and priorities in other areas of the pitch, that seemingly rules them out for now. Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time the Gunners signed a player in a position nobody was expecting.