Arsenal legend Alan Smith has made a prediction for the transfer window if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The club captain is on the verge of entering the final 12 months of his contract in North London, attracting the interest of Barcelona and Inter Milan, among others.
Arsenal's hierarchy has made it clear they are willing to sell players if they do not sign a new contract at the club, in order to avoid losing them on a free transfer like Aaron Ramsey last summer.
Fortunately, Arsenal do have some talented attacking forwards in their ranks, including Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli, but Smith expects to see the Gunners dip into the transfer market.
"It's asking a lot of Nketiah or Martinelli, as talented as they both are, to step into the shoes of a tried-and-tested goalscorer like Aubameyang, who has been playing at the top level for a lot of years," he told Sky Sports.
"If Aubameyang did leave I'm sure they would be looking to bring some experience in but they are restricted by their finances. They've also got Alexandre Lacazette but his goal output has tailed off this season compared to his first at the club, so that would be a concern.
"But there's no question they've got talent inside the club. I'm a big fan of Martinelli in particular. I think he's got a great attitude and a wonderful eye for goal as we've seen on a number of occasions already.
"There's definitely a lot to come from him but you have to be careful you don't put too much responsibility on young shoulders. They need to be nurtured."
Arsenal do hold interest in forwards ahead of the summer, having extensively scouted Celtic's Odsonne Edouard throughout the course of the campaign.
