Arsenal are reportedly looking at Lois Openda as an option to rotate with Gabriel Jesus next season, according to a report.

The Daily Mail cover claims that Arsenal are interested in Lens centre-forward Lois Openda, who made the move to Ligue 1 from Club Brugge over the summer.

The Gunners join Unai Emery and Aston Villa in the race for the striker, who has 17 goals and three assists in his 32 league appearances this season.

The 23-year-old has helped Lens up to third in the table, and given them a realistic shot at Champions League qualification.

But whilst that’s caught the eye over in the Premier League, ironically, it could also be the biggest obstacle to a move.

If Lens do end up making it into the Champions League, they’ll reportedly be keen to hold onto Openda for their European campaign.

Arsenal would end up having to pay more to convince the two to part ways.

With six games to go, it looks likely Lens will at least make the Champions League qualification spot.

Due to France’s overall underperformance in Europe in recent years, they currently only have two guaranteed Champions League spots, with one further spot on offer via qualifiers.

Lens are third, in that qualifying spot, five points ahead of Monaco in fourth and one point behind Marseille in second.

But second or third, you’d imagine Lens’ position on Openda would be roughly the same either way.

If they’ve guaranteed Champions League football and the money that comes with it, they’ll be in a stronger position to hang onto their best players. If they’ve only guaranteed a qualifier, they’ll want to keep their best players to ensure they win it.

From an Arsenal point of view, Mikel Arteta has quite a few options available up front, with Gabriel Jesus joined by Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, and Folarin Balogun.

All the same, there could be a departure or two this summer, with Balogun the most likely to leave. It’s not impossible the Gunners are indeed looking for a replacement.