Arsenal reportedly made contact with Brentford this summer over a potential deal to sign winger Kevin Schade, according to TEAMtalk.
The Gunners were left scrambling for attacking reinforcements after allowing both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli to leave the club during the transfer window.
Arsenal had initially targeted Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior as their primary options to fill the vacancy on the left side of their attack.
However, Rogers chose to join Chelsea while Vinicius Junior committed his future to Real Madrid by signing a new contract, forcing Arsenal to look elsewhere.
Schade quickly emerged as a serious option for the Gunners, with Arsenal making a direct enquiry to Brentford about his availability during the summer window.
The 24-year-old had proven his quality in the Premier League, registering 11 goals and assists last term after tallying 15 goal contributions across the 2024/25 season.
Brentford made their position clear from the outset, showing no willingness to entertain a sale and shutting down Arsenal’s enquiry at an early stage.
TEAMtalk reports that Brentford would have demanded a fee surpassing the £70 million they received when selling Bryan Mbeumo, a figure Arsenal were unwilling to commit to.
Arsenal ultimately made only one new signing in that area of the pitch, bringing in Christos Tzolis, before stepping back from their pursuit of Schade entirely.
Brentford have since moved to protect their asset by opening contract negotiations with Schade, with manager Keith Andrews keen to secure his long-term future at the club.
Schade currently holds a contract until the summer of 2028, stemming from the five-year deal he signed when joining permanently from Freiburg in 2023.
The German forward has accumulated 23 goals in 117 appearances for Brentford, a tally that includes two Premier League hat-tricks and underlines his growing importance to the side.
Multiple Champions League clubs across Europe have also been tracking Schade, making Brentford’s push to extend his deal all the more urgent heading into 2026.