It’s hard to rule out the possibility of Arsenal making a move for Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, according to a report.

The Athletic write that Arsenal are among the potential buyers for Lingard, given the likelihood the 27-year-old moves on from United in the near future. He’s having a poor season and Bruno Fernandes’ arrival only increased the competition for starts.

According to the report, Arsenal are going to need midfield reinforcements, with a permanent move for Dani Ceballos unlikely. As a result, The Athletic claim it’s ‘hard to rule out’ Raul Sanllehi calling up Mino Raiola over Lingard.

Personally, I find it pretty easy to rule out. Lingard is on high wages, playing badly for a Premier League rival. He’ll cost far more than his value to Arsenal.

To try and force the narrative, The Athletic article brought up Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But this isn’t a Welbeck situation, with a 23-year-old who still had potential to improve.

Nor is this similar to Mkhitaryan’s transfer, a deal for a player who had recently hugely impressed with Borussia Dortmund and never found consistent minutes at United. A makeweight for Alexis Sanchez, who Arsenal would lose for free in a few months.

Instead, this is a 27-year-old who had multiple full seasons in the United first team and was never more than slightly above average – even at his best. He neither has the future potential nor a spectacular past to point to. It’s a waste of money.